Soul, Funk and Blues Music, Old and New

Pecos said:
James Brown is a major hero in this area. He has a beautiful statue down on Broad Street in Augusta Ga across the river from where I live.
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I always was a James Brown and The Famous Flames fan. My favorites: “Please, Please, Please” and “I Feel Good’. I also liked “Night Train.” James Brown has an interesting bio. He was not only a great blues singer, but also a great performer with his dancing and acting, especially when he sang, “Please, Please, Please.” He was the first rock singer that I saw that wore patent leather shoes.


James Brown bio
 
Been There said:
I always was a James Brown and The Famous Flames fan. My favorites: “Please, Please, Please” and “I Feel Good’. I also liked “Night Train.” James Brown has an interesting bio. He was not only a great blues singer, but also a great performer with his dancing and acting, especially when he sang, “Please, Please, Please.” He was the first rock singer that I saw that wore patent leather shoes.


James Brown bio
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I was privileged to see many artists back in the day when the Apollo theater had its soul reviews. James was one of them. I saw him do his Please, Please, Please routine...throwing off the red cape a couple of times, having it put back on him a couple of times, falling to his knees, etc. He's known for his Funk tunes but he sang one helluva, heart wrenching ballad. This was the first song I heard by him and is one of my favorites by him:


@Pecos I remember hearing about the statue. Don't know why I was thinking it was in Macon though.
@MarkinPhx @Pinky @dobielvr @Pink Biz
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I was privileged to see many artists back in the day when the Apollo theater had its soul reviews. James was one of them. I saw him do his Please, Please, Please routine...throwing off the red cape a couple of times, having it put back on him a couple of times, falling to his knees, etc. He's known for his Funk tunes but he sang one helluva, heart wrenching ballad. This was the first song I heard by him and is one of my favorites by him:


@Pecos I remember hearing about the statue. Don't know why I was thinking it was in Macon though.
@MarkinPhx @Pinky @dobielvr @Pink Biz
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That is a great song MDS.

He was so popular in Georgia that I would not surprise me one bit if he had a statute in Macon as well. He is revered on this side of the river as well and he lived in Breech Island SC for a long time.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I was privileged to see many artists back in the day when the Apollo theater had its soul reviews. James was one of them. I saw him do his Please, Please, Please routine...throwing off the red cape a couple of times, having it put back on him a couple of times, falling to his knees, etc. He's known for his Funk tunes but he sang one helluva, heart wrenching ballad. This was the first song I heard by him and is one of my favorites by him:


@Pecos I remember hearing about the statue. Don't know why I was thinking it was in Macon though.
@MarkinPhx @Pinky @dobielvr @Pink Biz
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WOW! I would have given just about anything to have gone to the Apollo just once back in the day, but then I would probably have been too young to really enjoy the show. I read a good deal about the Apollo and the performers who played and sang there. The Apollo should be made into a National Shrine. There is/was no there place like it. I believe it is listed as a Historical building.
 
Been There said:
WOW! I would have given just about anything to have gone to the Apollo just once back in the day, but then I would probably have been too young to really enjoy the show. I read a good deal about the Apollo and the performers who played and sang there. The Apollo should be made into a National Shrine. There is/was no there place like it. I believe it is listed as a Historical building.
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What's amazing Been There is that I was "poor girl" back then but still got to see live shows, including Broadway theater. I went to the Apollo at least twice with neighborhood friends. I probably still lived with my parents at the time. Other acts I saw there..The Motown Review: The Spinners (I got my first artist crush on Pervis Jackson, who sang bass), Marvin Gaye (before he hit it big), LIttle Stevie Wonder, who did Fingertips when he was just breaking out and I believe Gladys Knight and the Pips were also on that bill. I also saw Joe Tex, Joe Simon, Patti and the Bluebells, before they hit it big as LaBelle. Nothing like live !! @Pecos
 
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BTW @Been There when I was in my early 20s I got to sit down and chat with Pervis backstage at the Cheetah in New York. My BFF at the time was shocked when she came backstage and saw how cool I was being. I had written my first and only fan letter to him shortly after seeing him at the Apollo a couple of years earlier. He had sent me a letter with a personal snapshot. Pervis was known for being nice to his fans. @MarkinPhx @Pecos
 
OneEyedDiva said:
BTW @Been There when I was in my early 20s I got to sit down and chat with Pervis backstage at the Cheetah in New York. My BFF at the time was shocked when she came backstage and saw how cool I was being. I had written my first and only fan letter to him shortly after seeing him at the Apollo a couple of years earlier. He had sent me a letter with a personal snapshot. Pervis was known for being nice to his fans. @MarkinPhx @Pecos
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My favorite singer back in that era was a fellow named Pookie Hudson. I t was way before my time, but my parents had a lot of 4's, so one day I began playing the records after my grandparents, who I was living with bought me a portable stereo. Pookie was the lead singer for the Spaniels at that time, but later went solo. I don't know what it was about his voice, maybe because he sang so soft and smooth in his early days that caught my attention, but he had a style that was recognizable and who didn't love the song, "Goodnight, Sweetheart?" It was a beautiful song, for anyone that listened to the lyrics.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
What's amazing Been There is that I was "poor girl" back then but still got to see live shows, including Broadway theater. I went to the Apollo at least twice with neighborhood friends. I probably still lived with my parents at the time. Other acts I saw there..The Motown Review: The Spinners (I got my first artist crush on Pervis Jackson, who sang bass), Marvin Gaye (before he hit it big), LIttle Stevie Wonder, who did Fingertips when he was just breaking out and I believe Gladys Knight and the Pips were also on that bill. I also saw Joe Tex, Joe Simon, Patti and the Bluebells, before they hit it big as LaBelle. Nothing like live !! @Pecos
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I had read that back in the day, being a performer and playing at the Apollo was like a country singer performing at the Grand Ole Opry. That's when you knew, as a performer, that you made the big time. I also read that Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the first white group to play at the Apollo and were well received by the audience. My parents must have really liked Holly. They had a lot of his 45's and albums. I liked his sound for the most part, but a few of his songs were so-so. I played the drums at the Naval Academy and was asked to try out for the U.S. Navy Band, but had no aspirations of being a drummer for a band. I wanted to do other things with my career.

Back in that era, there were a lot of really good artists, both black and white, but probably overall, in the mid to late 50's, it seems to me that the black artists prevailed. I think the genre Doo Wop helped them along. Many black artists during that time period either sang rhythm and blues or Doo Wop, which I really enjoy listening too because of the harmony. I have a pretty good Doo Wop collection from my parents, who must have really liked it also. However, there was always something special about James Brown. Did you know that after his death, there was a big mess within his family over his estate, especially his song rights?
 
yea I'm a blue man aka EC and his mentors too yea there is blues and then there is real bllues - EC played with \i think buddy guy once ya can still see it on cd - god that was effin magic!! - yea seen those deep south blues towns on utube - still mighty tidy but old and grey heh - love to go there just once and hear some real blues!
 

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