SOUL MUSICIANS: SUFFERING INJURIES FOR THE SAKE OF ART

Dedication. Focus. Persistence.

 These are qualities that one must have in order to achieve your goals in life.  We will always love the soul performances from past artists (regretfully some have passed away) that have given their all on stage and in recordings.

 James Brown, Joe Tex, Patti Labelle, and Prince are just a few performers who gave fantastic shows which became the stuff of legends.  

 

 

But how many of us really know what it takes to do what they do onstage?  

 

How many of us would be willing to pay the price for performing the way they do?

 

    

 

 Constant touring and rehearsing takes a toll on the body and mind.  Imagine (in the case of Sheila E) playing drums, congas and timbales until your fingers bleed.


James Brown (starting from the late 50s, and continuing thru the 60s and early 70s) singing, dancing and screaming night after night, knees bleeding from falling to the floor 5-6 times each show.  

Screaming so hard one night that he could hardly talk the next day( he poured a small jar of honey down his throat before each show).

 





 Prince, who not only did splits, but did them in high heels while jumping off huge amplifiers. 
 High heel shoes and boots were also part of his daily dress wear.

They all had tremendous drive and focus to do what they did on stage.  It took a lot of stamina and will power to get on stage night after night, giving audiences their all, 

making sure when people left, they talked about THAT show!


Artists thrive on the attention of others on and off stage, dressing so they would not look like anyone else. 

Injuries, aches and pains are a big part of performing and often are ignored to the point of where they become very serious issues. 

 Anyone who plays an instrument or multiple instruments(such as guitar, keyboards, drums, etc.,) is subject to carpel tunnel syndrome in fingers and hands thru repetitive motion.


 How did James Brown fall on his knees five, six times a show night after night?  How did Prince leap from the pianos and huge amps into a split every show? 

 

 

 

The answer to that; MIND POWER!  These artists endured setbacks early in the career and decided that they would reach as high as they could, no matter what it took to make it!


James Brown was examined by doctors not long before he died and was found to have very little cartilage in his knees. 

He did splits and knee drops well into his 50s, till he could not do them anymore.  

Michael Jackson would practice his dance moves until his whole body ached from pain.


 I have read about more than one artist being wheeled to the edge of a stage, getting up and doing a show and getting back into the chair waiting for them.  


Al Green appeared on Soul Train with a broken arm(all he had to do was sing, enduring the pain nevertheless) and did a 

 fantastic live show!

 

 
> Even with today,s technology artists still have to prove they have what it takes to perform(to tell the truth some are selected because of their looks, not musical ability.


Whatever your goal is in life, give it your best if you want it badly enough. Just remember there is a price to be paid somewhere along the road. As James Brown used to say; "Pay the cost to be THE BOSS!"

REVIEW OF MY FIRST JB CONCERT IN 1969

This is my review of the first James Brown concert I ever attended. 

A next door neighbor was taking her kids and asked if I wanted to go also. 


I was just entering my teens at the time, but I have been a JB fan ever since I heard "DON,T BE A DROPOUT". 


I can,t recall everything about the show as it happened that night but I will do the best I can.


My father used to listen to a radio station out of Nashville, Tennessee, that played a lot of the  R&B hits of the day. 


Only being around 5 or  6 years of age at the time, the only singer that I remember hearing was James Brown.
 

In 1969 I was taken to a  JB concert by a neighbor and witnessed a show I will never forget!



This was James Brown with his late 60s band featuring saxophonist extraordinaire, Maceo Parker.


I don,t remember all the songs but I do remember the band opening with "THE CHICKEN".  Then the band,s classic hit featuring Maceo, "THE POPCORN".

Then the lovely Miss Marva Whitney came on and performed two songs, "BALL OF FIRE" AND "IT,S MY THING".


Looking gorgeous in a long blue grown she had  the crowd in awe as she belted out her hits, then left the stage.


Let me tell you something; these songs were performed identically like the records ( most were extended in concert)!  Then Maceo blew everyone away with an imprompt  solo sax performance!


I believe  after that the announcer came onstage said a few things pertaining to concert show books and whatnot.


  Finally... he brought out the man HIMSELF...


                                Mister Dynamite,
                           JAAMES BROWNNN!


He was immaculately dressed in a white jacket,  black silk turtleneck shirt and white pants with black patent leather boots(so shiny you could see your face in them).  


Soul Brother #1 strutted on stage and  delivered a quick handshake to the announcer. 


He went into his big hit, 


"SAY IT LOUD  I,M BLACK & PROUD!"


 


The audience sang along with him as he went thru the song and when JB finished, he started rapping with the audience as the band stood silently in the background.


I did recall one thing that he said which really left an impression on me.

"The color of a man,s skin does not make a   man."

                  "A man makes himself." 
Still rapping, he held the mike, when all of a sudden...


he spun around and stood in the SAME POSE HOLDING THE MIKE!

This happened in a SPLIT SECOND!

I tell you as I saw it with my own eyes, the man was as fast as GREASED LIGHTNING!
 

JB went thru his hits from "IT,S A MAN,S WORLD"( he sang live to a tape being played while the band stood around ;at this time he no longer had the three violinists touring with him).







On "LOWDOWN POPCORN", he accompanied the band on organ, playing the song note for note.  


His footwork was dazzling as he went from one side to the stage to the other.  



The camel walk, the one-legged dance, (especially the James Brown) he performed as we all watched mesmerized!


He spun around three and four times, almost falling on one of the drum sets at one point.


You could actually see the sweat flying away from his body as he worked himself into a frenzy and the crowd along with him.


 I noticed he didn,t do the splits at all that night, (I found out later during that period in his shows he didn,t do the splits) nevertheless still had an exciting exhilarating show. 


On the live  JB concert dvds, "LIVE AT THE APOLLO 1968" and "LIVE AT THE BOSTON GARDENS 1968" ( filmed a month before the former and the night after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed) he did no splits. 



Then came his signature cape routine with "PLEASE PLEASE".  Mister Dynamite then left the stage to rest for a few minutes. 


The announcer appeared again and talked about the concert books and other things that were still available for sale.


We heard the shout, "ONE MORE TIME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MISTER JAMES BROWN", as he took the stage one more time. 


 
He had removed his jacket before he left the stage the first time, but did not change his clothes before his finale.


 
All of a sudden came a familiar scream, "EEEEYOWWW!" The band immediately went into "GIVE IT UP OR TURNIT A LOOSE". followed by his current monster hit, "MOTHER POPCORN"!


The whole audience, worked into a frenzy by this time, (me included)rushed to the front of the stage. 



That,s when I noticed how his pants were made.  Instead of a belt or buttons in front, they were laced up, just like football jersey pants. 


I also noticed for the first time his dancer, the lovely Ann Norman, on an elevated platform behind the band.  


I,ve seen (what we called back then)go-go dancers before but this woman was a SUPER FINE FOX! 


She was so sexy in that tiny mini-whatever she had on, I wanted to motion to JB to move over so I could get a better look at her, lol!


Someone  hoisted a little girl up onto the stage.  The child looked bewildered as she stared into the crowd of faces looking back as her.  


 JB was oblivious to the child, as he was grooving back and forth with Maceo.  


One of the trumpet players saw the little girl, put his instrument down momentarily and gently lowered the child back down into the crowd ( so she wouldn,t get in the way or accidently get hurt).


 
The show ended with James Brown leaving the stage, drained but with a satisfied look on his face, knowing he killed them! 


  I,ve seen JB about five or six times after that, but I never, ever will forget that first show!  Im glad that 
I got a chance to see him with the late sixties band.


James Brown is gone now but...


Not only there is a movie  titled "GET ON UP" on August 1, 2014 coming out about his life, but there is quite a bit of  footage of him  available online, like  YOUTUBE, and a few officially released James Brown concert dvds out now.


So no matter what you,ve heard about JB, good or bad, mistakes and all, know this; to see him live back then was not just a concert, but an EVENT!


He was a flawed human being (we all are) that pushed himself to the top of the music world. 


He had help along the way, but did it HIS WAY!


 There will  always be imitators, duplicators, people that will take something from him and take it to the next level.  


BUT... there  will never, ever, be another...  JAMES BROWN!

2ND JAMES BROWN MOVIE TRAILER DROPS!

A 2nd "GET ON UP"  movie trailer has arrived and I am thrilled! 

While the 1st trailer looked good,  it came off to me more like a movie of the week.


Boseman looks great in the role but it just didn,t meet MY expectations. (I,ve seen JB five or six times live) Forgive me, I,m just picky, but i want it done right.


  I know that it was just a little premature to pass judgement just yet, but I have been a solid JB fan for the last 50 plus years ( shook hands with him in 1970) and I just want his story told right after waiting all these years! 


Here comes the 2nd trailer and guess what?  Whatever apprehensions I had about the film before are gone! 


This trailer shows a little more in depth about what to expect  and believe me, it is impressive!  


Of course they,ve  taken taken certain liberties such as Boseman is not  a short guy, or that JB,s shotgun went off in the insurance seminar ( maybe they are showing witness accounts of what could have happened, during his trial). 


Aside from those shortcomings, I really like what I saw in this trailer!



Here is the 2nd "GET ON UP" trailer






Looks very impressive huh?  I know they will use some well known songs but hopefully include some lesser known ones.


For example;  "Let A Man Come In & Do The Popcorn",  "Mother Popcorn",  "Ain,t It Funky Now", "If I Ruled The World",  "Lowdown Popcorn",  "I Don.t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I,ll Get It Myself)".


Okay, quite a bit of popcorn in there but James was heavy on the funk!  


One interesting tibit;  JB,s reference to the word "popcorn" in his songs meant a woman,s behind ( he loved big butts with small waists and had as many as five women a night after shows). 


Yes, he was a REAL SEX MACHINE, lol!  



There are several books on JB and here are my top 3 recommendations below;



 


1. The One: The Life & Music Of JB

    This the most fact-filled book of JB that I   

    have read to date.  Great insight into the 

    mind of James Brown; what drove him to 

     push himself and his organization to almost 

     inhuman limits(marathon touring, 

     recording in the studio after finishing an 

     exhausting concert, the need to get on top

     and the will to stay there.   
  

2. The JB Reader: 

Another book full of notes and different views by JB and friends, members, staff, newspaper press releases, etc.  

 


These are the  most comprehensive books on JB,s life that I,ve ever read, filled with many facts that I didn,t  know before.

 
I,m sure that there will be other interpretations of JB forthcoming on film and in books,  now that the floodgates are open.


There is an untitled JB documentary that was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival back in April 2014.  

I don,t when it will be released but the runtime is 2hrs and 10min. 


Mick Jagger is one of the producers of the film (man, he REALLY is into doing JB right on film!) and that it contains archival footage of JB throughout his career.


Done with the permission of the James brown Estate, we should see footage that has not been seen before.


Case in point; there is ANOTHER film about Elvis already in the works.  


Just to be fair, there has never been a movie about his life on the big screen, only tele-movies and concert films so he deserves his due also.  


Remember,  come August 1st,  world will be amazed because "GET ON UP"    will hit the big screen!



**********************UPDATE**************************

If you like James Brown, then GET READY for the "GET ON UP" MOVIE SOUNDTRACK!!!


HOT! HOT! HOT!  DON,T MISS THIS MOVIE!!!



On July 29th,  the original motion picture sound track will be released featuring 20 songs consisting of studio and live versions of many of JB,s hits! There will never be another like the #1 Soul Brother, so check out the movie and get the audio cd!

 

FIRST IMPRESSION OF "GET ON UP" TRAILER

Hello again JB fans!


I would like to say that I,m very excited that we have a JB bio movie at last!  The cast and crew look good and hopefully this movie will be on a par with "RAY". 


 I,m not completely sold on Boseman as JB but I think he is going to pull off a nearly impossible job as the Godfather Of Soul.  One of my concerns is a few liberties, listed below,  that they are taking in the movie, judging by the trailer;

• JB was around 5'7 or so; Boseman is much taller (he almost towers over actor playing Bobby Byrd)  
•  
• One scene with Bootsy and the JBs - the drum sets are too far apart  (on stage they were closer together). 
•  
• Vietnam scene with JB complaining to the officer- I could be wrong but I didn,t see Tim Drummond anywhere ( he was the first white member of the late 60,s band, playing bass guitar, and went with JB to play in Vietnam). WHOOPS! I was wrong! He was in that particular segment as well at the Boston Gardens scene.
•  
• JB shooting the shotgun by accident at the insurance seminar( the shotgun didn,t go off because it wouldn,t work).
  

 I realize that movies take certain liberties with scripts and change some things, but just as long as they stay true to the spirit of JB, then it will be ok.

The Jacksons TV movie had Randy  almost grown when he officially joined the group, when in real life, he was a little boy who was excellent on playing congas.

 I want this movie to do really well and hopefully see other movies or documentaries on Mr. Brown,s life. As for some people saying that they have seen this story time and again, no they haven,t!


JB,s story is one of a kind and is unique and thank God, it will finally be seen on screen, for better or worse!

SPIKE LEE FIRED FROM JAMES BROWN BIOPIC

  




According to EBONY magazine and ROLLING OUT.COM,   Spike Lee has been fired as director of the upcoming JAMES BROWN movie.  

 Spike has always been my number one choice to directory JB,s story and while no explanation was given as of yet,  I hope that this film does well.
    VISIT MY AMAZON STORE FOR SOUL MUSIC DVDS



The news that he is being replaced by the guy that directed "THE HELP" (who is white by the way)  is a little unsettling.

  Not the fact that he is white, but he doesn,t have much of a track record ( aside from the aftermentioned movie).  But everyone has to start somewhere and he just might turn out to be a GREAT director!

It,s not about the color folks! I believe that Spike would have done justice to the JAMES BROWN story; a prime example would be the film MALCOLM X.

I don,t care if the director is BLACK, WHITE, BLUE, GRAY or POLKADOT as long as the script and the cast is right.

Another way of looking at it is by hiring a white director the film won,t be looked at as being a BLACK FILM PROJECT only, gaining more universal and hopefully international attention.

About the new director, regardless of color,  I just want to see a GREAT film about Mr. Brown done.

Steven Spielberg did an EXCELLENT job with "THE COLOR PURPLE", delivering a powerful, emotional film that has and will always stand the test of time. 

  I wish Spike was still on board but let,s give this new guy a chance, along with our support and wish him the best!