What a terrible loss. Brown was one of the giants of American music, and certainly one of the most dynamic and colorful performers ever. His influence cannot be overstated.

What a huge loss for American music!
Brown will be greatly missed.

James Brown was the single most important recording artist in R&B, soul, and funk. His passing is an incalculable loss. Today is one of the saddest days of my life.

James Brown, James Bro-o-o-wn!

What a performer, what an icon.

RIP James.

WIll listen sadly to "Santa Claus Is Going Straight To The Ghetto" today.

He will be greatly missed.

What can be said about "The Godfather Of Soul" that hasn't been said or will be said in the many eulogies??

Very sad day, indeed.

Last Saturday I was in my indie cd store and the girl behing the counter was playing the James Brown Christmas cd. I was in there long enough to hear most of it, and there must have been at least 10 people asking her about the cd and she said it was her personal favorite Christmas cd ever because of its uniqueness and soulfulness and originality. I bet she sold at least 5 or 6 in the time I was there and all copies were being purchased by "college aged" people, so that was very nice to see and perhaps they will in turn become fans of his as well. But her comment about the uniqueness, soulfulness and originality of that cd are also great words to describe Mr. Brown himself. That was definitely a performer whom we will never see the likes of again.

Brown at the Palladium is one of my all-time favorite live memories. Sad news.

A giant, an innovator, one of a kind. Sad news indeed.

I feel embarrassed to admit this, but I do not own one James Brown CD. I know I should and I've always said I'd buy at least a comp and Live At The Apollo.

To repent for this sin of omission in my CD collection, which JB comp is best and which version of Live At The Apollo is the best and worth seeking out??

As far as comps go, I'd say the 2 disc 40th anniversary set is a good buy. There is also a 50th anniversary set, but there's only a difference in a handful of songs. There's also a JB Ballads collection for those who might like that too often ignored area of his work. I haven't heard it, but I hear the Live at the Apollo II is a better set than the first volume. The running time is much longer now, thanks to them adding the bonus tracks.

Chris, if you've got the space, time, money, and stamina - "Star Time" 4-CD box set. I bought it at a Tower in Tokyo right after my first JB concert in 1991, couldn't wait till the next day!

I could actually just burn the box set off my cousin, but I feel like I should actually buy something, y'know??? I wish there was a career-spanning comp that included "Living In America," which was a much better song than the movie it came from (Rocky IV).

I'm gonna be hitting Newbury Comics today, so I'll see if I can find the 40th or 50th anniversary comps used at a reasonable price and maybe burn the box to cover myself for JB.

Too bad it's taking his death to finally make me break down and get some James. Unnh!!

Well, I got the 50th anniversary two-disc comp. Seemed fairly comprehensive and like the right thing to do to honor The Godfather Of Soul.

Now, I know one of the Apollo live albums was issued in a Deluxe Edition - I believe it was Volume II - how does that one rate for content and sound quality.

Also, are both Apollo volumes essential?? I believe the first one has been regarded highly by critics and fans for years, but the few hits I know from JB aside, I know little about his catalog.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I was reading about those last night, and volume 2 is the deluxe edition. Volume one is supposed to be the one that is the most well regarded, but has a short running time. Volume 2 has been expanded to include the complete set and is supposed to be equally as good overall as volume 1.....just that with volume 2 he had much more material to draw from......plus volume 2 is said to be leaning more towards the funk sound he would use in the 70s....this set was released just before he put together his classic 70s lineups.

I have tons of his albums/comps and I really like the 50th anniversery collection--it's a good start. The sound is very good, although you are missing out on the extended versions of the songs found on cd's like "In The Jungle Groove"

R.I.P. James Brown One of music's true visionaries.

New James Brown children discovered
Will for Sex Machine man to be contested

August 5, 2007
http://www.nme.com/news/james-brown/30117



The battle for late soul legend James Brown's estate is set to intensify as DNA testing on about a dozen people who claimed he was their father has revealed that at least two of them were telling the truth.

died on Christmas Day last year after being admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia. His will, which is being disputed in court, names six children.

Buddy Dallas, a former adviser to the 'Sex Machine' singer, said he could not confirm exact figures of new children as further test results were forthcoming.

He also refused to name any of the star's newly-discovered offspring, but a South Carolina newspaper reported that LaRhonda Petitt, a 45-year-old teacher, was one of them. Petitt showed The Augusta Chronicle a document which said there was a 99% probability she was 's daughter.

She claims the singer picked her mother out of the audience during a Los Angeles concert in the early 1960s and the couple began a relationship.

They broke up when her mother fell pregnant and moved to Houston, she told the paper.

According to the BBC, whether Petitt makes a claim to 's estate depends on whether his will holds up, said her lawyer, Jim Griffin.

But Petitt's two daughters should at least be eligible for a trust the musician set up to pay for his grandchildren's education, he added.

These kids really arent James Brown's. They're all part of a bizarre cloning experiment by Professor Miles Warren.

Claiming to be a child of James Brown appears to be the in thing to do, just as claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole's child was cool a couple of months ago.

I am monitoring how this plays out before I claim to be Tom Snyder's lovechild...

Steve In Louisville