The hardest working man in show business, James Brown, is working hard no more. After a tumultuous career, he died in hospital in the wee hours of Christmas Day. True to form, he had checked into the hospital because he was coming down with something and he had a show to do on New Year's Eve.
James Brown is one of those great entertainers who was able to transcend boundaries of nation, culture, and genre. You don't have to come from the Projects to appreciate songs like I Got You (I Feel Good) or Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Pt. 1. Nor do you have to be African-American to identify with Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud), Pt. 1, as the movie The Commitments so wittily pointed out.
The news reports say that Brown had an impact on a wide range of popular musical genres including soul, funk, rock and roll, and even rap. I don't know to what extent this is true, but I do know one thing -- hearing James Brown belt out "I feel good!" is a thrill no matter how many times I hear it.
Rest in peace, James. You don't have to work so hard any more.
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