James Brown’s breakout hit “Please, Please, Please” drew directly from the gospel tradition, channeling its pleading repetition and raw emotion into a new sound. Misunderstood by critics but ...

In 1973, James Brown formed an unlikely friendship with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who he met when Sharpton was a young civil ...

Taking soul onto the R&B charts, James Brown helped push the genre further into the mainstream by the mid-1960s with his first No. 1 hit, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” which earned him his first ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) When discussing the foundations of modern music, James Brown is a name that cannot be ignored. Known as the ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) When I first wrote about James Brown, I thought I’d covered enough ground with the big hits—the songs everyone knows and loves. But not long after that article went live, I started ...

A surprising and controversial ode to women, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” from 1966 showcases Brown’s softer side. A major hit and an iconic ballad in his discography, this song doesn’t boast the ...