Editing James Brown (section)

==Artistry==
[[File:Jamesbrown2.jpg|thumb|Brown's most famous MC was Danny Ray (center), who was with him for over 30 years.]]
As a vocalist, Brown performed in a forceful [[Shout (Black gospel music)|shout]] style derived from [[gospel music]]. Meanwhile, "his rhythmic grunts and expressive shrieks harked back farther still to [[ring shout]]s, [[work song]]s, and [[Field slaves in the United States|field]] cries", according to the ''Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History'' (1996): "He reimported the rhythmic complexity from which rhythm and blues, under the dual pressure of rock 'n' roll and pop, had progressively fallen away since its birth from jazz and blues."<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=West|editor1-first=Cornel|editor1-link=Cornel West|editor2-last=Smith|editor2-first=David L.|editor3-last=Salzman|editor3-first=Jack|year=1996|title=Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History|publisher=Macmillan Library Reference|isbn=0-02-897345-3|page=449}}</ref>

For many years, Brown's touring show was one of the most extravagant productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown's death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist.<ref>[https://www.today.com/popculture/james-brown-band-resume-touring-soon-wbna16396332 "James Brown band to resume touring soon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723221432/https://www.today.com/popculture/james-brown-band-resume-touring-soon-wbna16396332 |date=July 23, 2020 }} (December 29, 2006). MSNBC. Retrieved January 13, 2007.</ref> The bands that he maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during the ballads.<ref>White, C., & H. Weinger, "Are You Ready for Star Time?" ''Star Time'', J. Brown (1991). Liner notes, 31. Polydor.</ref> Brown employed between 40 and 50 people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as one-nighters.<ref>George, N. (1988). ''The Death of Rhythm and Blues'', 101. New York: Pantheon Books. {{ISBN|0-452-26697-1}}.</ref><ref>Guralnick, P. (1986). ''Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom'', 240. New York: Back Bay Books. {{ISBN|0-452-26697-1}}.</ref>

===Concert style===
Before James Brown appeared on stage, his personal [[Master of ceremonies|MC]] gave him an elaborate introduction accompanied by drumrolls, as the MC worked in Brown's various sobriquets along with the names of many of his hit songs. The introduction by Fats Gonder, captured on Brown's 1963 album ''[[Live at the Apollo (1963 album)|Live at the Apollo]]'' is a representative example:

{{blockquote|So now ladies and gentlemen it is "Star Time". Are you ready for "Star Time?" Thank you and thank you very kindly. It is indeed a great pleasure to present to you at this particular time, national[ly] and international[ly] known as "The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", the man that sings "[[I'll Go Crazy (James Brown song)|I'll Go Crazy]]"..."[[Try Me (James Brown song)|Try Me]]"..."[[You've Got the Power (James Brown song)|You've Got the Power]]"..."[[Think ("5" Royales song)|Think]]"..."If You Want Me"..."[[I Don't Mind (James Brown song)|I Don't Mind]]"..."[[Bewildered]]"... the million dollar seller, "[[Lost Someone]]"... the very latest release, "[[Night Train (composition)|Night Train]]"... let's everybody "[[Shout and Shimmy]]"... "Mr. Dynamite", the amazing "Mr. Please Please" himself, the star of the show, James Brown and [[the Famous Flames]]!!<ref name="jbstarTime">Gross, T. (February 22, 2005). [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6676984 James Brown (Fresh Air WHYY-FM audio interview)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040444/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6676984 |date=November 10, 2018 }}. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 22, 2007.</ref>}}

[[File:James Brown.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Brown and MC Danny Ray during [[#Cape routine|cape routine]], [[BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms|BBC Electric Proms]] '06 concert]]

James Brown's performances were famous for their intensity and length. His own stated goal was to "give people more than what they came for&nbsp;— make them tired, 'cause ''that's'' what they came for.'"<ref>Guralnick, 231.</ref> Brown's concert repertoire consisted mostly of his own hits and recent songs, with a few R&B covers mixed in. Brown danced vigorously as he sang, working popular dance steps such as the [[Mashed Potato (dance)|Mashed Potato]] into his routine along with dramatic leaps, splits and slides. His horn players and singing group, The Famous Flames, typically performed choreographed dance routines, and later incarnations of the Revue included backup dancers. Male performers in the Revue were required to wear [[Tuxedo (clothing)|tuxedoes]] and [[cummerbund]]s long after more casual concert wear became the norm among the younger musical acts. Brown's own extravagant outfits and his elaborate [[Conk|processed hairdo]] completed the visual impression. A James Brown concert typically included a performance by a featured vocalist, such as Vicki Anderson or [[Marva Whitney]], and an instrumental feature for the band, which sometimes served as the opening act for the show.

A trademark feature of Brown's stage shows, usually during the song "Please, Please, Please", involved Brown dropping to his knees while clutching the microphone stand in his hands, prompting the show's longtime MC, Danny Ray, to come out, drape a cape over Brown's shoulders and escort him off the stage after he had worked himself to exhaustion during his performance. As Brown was escorted off the stage by the MC, Brown's vocal group, [[the Famous Flames]], [[Bobby Byrd]], [[Baby Lloyd Stallworth|Lloyd Stallworth]], and [[Bobby Bennett (The Famous Flames)|Bobby Bennett]], continued singing the background vocals "Please, please don't go-oh".<ref>Page, C. (January 2, 2007). [http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070102/A_OPINION0603/701020304 "Godfather's soul transcended racial, musical barriers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927185634/http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070102/A_OPINION0603/701020304 |date=September 27, 2007 }}, ''The Record''. Retrieved June 17, 2007.</ref> Brown would then shake off the cape and stagger back to the microphone to perform an [[encore (concert)|encore]]. Brown's routine was inspired by a similar one used by the [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] [[Gorgeous George]], as well as [[Little Richard]].<ref name="jbstarTime" /><ref>Loverro, T. (December 28, 2006). [http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20061228-123845-5230r.htm "Soul Brother had sports roots"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813221904/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/dec/28/20061228-123845-5230r/ |date=August 13, 2023 }}, ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved January 13, 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=White|first=Charles|year=2003|title=The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorized Press|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-306-80552-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTr_AgAAQBAJ|pages=68–70|access-date=July 28, 2021|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813221902/https://books.google.com/books?id=dTr_AgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> 

In his 2005 autobiography ''I Feel Good: A Memoir in a Life of Soul'', Brown, who was a fan of Gorgeous George, credited the wrestler as the inspiration for both his cape routine and concert attire, stating, "Seeing him on TV helped create the James Brown you see on stage".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQ5pDwAAQBAJ&q=gorgeous+george+james+brown+you+see&pg=PA96|title=Pro Wrestling: A Comprehensive Reference Guide|first=Lew|last=Freedman|page=96|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date=September 7, 2018|isbn=9781440853517|access-date=June 15, 2020|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813221904/https://books.google.com/books?id=TQ5pDwAAQBAJ&q=gorgeous+george+james+brown+you+see&pg=PA96|url-status=live}}</ref> Brown performs a version of the cape routine in the film of the ''[[T.A.M.I. Show]]'' (1964) in which he and the Famous Flames upstaged [[the Rolling Stones]], and over the [[closing credits]] of the film ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]''. [[The Police]] refer to "James Brown on the ''T.A.M.I. Show''" in their 1980 song "[[When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around]]".

===Band leadership===
Brown demanded extreme discipline, perfection and precision from his musicians and dancers&nbsp;– performers in his Revue showed up for rehearsals and members wore the right "uniform" or "costume" for concert performances.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tangari |first=Joe |date=January 3, 2007 |title=James Brown, 1933–2006 |website=Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/6513-james-brown-1933-2006/ |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805231033/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/6513-james-brown-1933-2006/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During an interview conducted by [[Terry Gross]] during the [[NPR]] segment "[[Fresh Air]]" with [[Maceo Parker]], a former saxophonist in Brown's band for most of the 1960s and part of the 1970s and 1980s, Parker offered his experience with the discipline that Brown demanded of the band:

{{blockquote|You gotta be on time. You gotta have your uniform. Your stuff's got to be intact. You gotta have the bow tie. ''You got to have it''. You can't come up without the bow tie. You cannot come up without a cummerbund ... [The] patent leather shoes we were wearing at the time gotta be greased. You just gotta have this stuff. This is what [Brown expected] ... [Brown] bought the costumes. He bought the shoes. And if for some reason [the band member decided] to leave the group, [Brown told the person to] please leave my uniforms . ... |Maceo Parker<ref>Gross, T. (1989). [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6676990 Musician Maceo Parker (Fresh Air WHYY-FM audio interview)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235516/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6676990 |date=September 23, 2018 }}. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 22, 2007.</ref>}}

Brown also had a practice of directing, correcting and assessing fines on members of his band who broke his rules, such as wearing unshined shoes, dancing out of sync or showing up late on stage.<ref>Burnett, B. (December 21, 2006). [http://www.hour.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=11069 "James Brown: Audience with the Godfather"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116044652/http://www.hour.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=11069 |date=November 16, 2009 }} (interview).'' [[Hour (magazine)|The Hour]]''. Retrieved January 9, 2007.</ref> During some of his concert performances, Brown danced in front of his band with his back to the audience as he slid across the floor, flashing hand signals and splaying his pulsating fingers to the beat of the music. Although audiences thought Brown's dance routine was part of his act, this practice was actually his way of pointing to the offending member of his troupe who played or sang the wrong note or committed some other infraction. Brown used his splayed fingers and hand signals to alert the offending person of the fine that person must pay to him for breaking his rules.<ref>Gottschild, B.D. (August 2000). "James Brown: Godfather of dance", ''Dance Magazine'', 74(8), p. 54 (Document no. A63735725). Retrieved January 11, 2007, from the Biography Resource Center database.</ref>

Brown's demands on his support acts could be harsh. As [[Fred Wesley]] recalled of his time as musical director of the JBs, if Brown felt intimidated by a support act he would try to "undermine their performances by shortening their sets without notice, demanding that they not do certain showstopping songs, and even insisting on doing the unthinkable, playing drums on some of their songs. A sure set killer."<ref>Fred Wesley's sleevenotes to [[Honey & the Bees]] "Dynamite!" (Jamie4009) 1999.</ref>