James Brown Popular Books
James Brown Biography & Facts
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer and musician. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by various nicknames, among them "the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986. Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He rose to prominence in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a new approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006. Brown recorded and released 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in the Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and at No. 44 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Early life Brown was born on May 3, 1933, in Barnwell, South Carolina, to 16-year-old Susie (née Behling; 1917–2004) and 21-year-old Joseph Gardner Brown (1912–1993) in a small wooden shack. Brown's name was supposed to have been Joseph James Brown, but his first and middle names were mistakenly reversed on his birth certificate. In his autobiography, Brown stated that his father was of mixed African-American and Native American descent, while his mother was of mixed African-American and Asian descent. The Brown family lived in poverty in Elko, South Carolina, which was an impoverished town in 1933. They moved to Augusta, Georgia, when James was four or five. His family first settled at one of his aunts' brothels. They later moved into a house shared with another aunt. Brown's mother eventually left the family after a contentious and abusive marriage and moved to New York. He began singing in talent shows as a young child, first appearing at Augusta's Lenox Theater in 1944, winning the show after singing the ballad "So Long". While in Augusta, Brown performed buck dances for change to entertain troops from Camp Gordon at the start of World War II as their convoys traveled over a canal bridge near his aunt's home. This is where he first heard the legendary blues musician Howlin' Wolf play guitar. He learned to play the piano, guitar, and harmonica during this period. He became inspired to become an entertainer after hearing "Caldonia" by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. In his teen years, Brown briefly had a career as a boxer. At the age of 16, he was convicted of robbery and sent to a juvenile detention center in Toccoa. There, he formed a gospel quartet with four fellow cellmates, including Johnny Terry. Brown met singer Bobby Byrd when the two played against each other in a baseball game outside the detention center. Byrd discovered that Brown could sing after hearing of "a guy called Music Box", which was Brown's nickname at the prison. Byrd has since said he and his family helped to secure an early release, which led to Brown promising the court he would "sing for the Lord". Brown was released on a work sponsorship with Toccoa business owner S. C. Lawson. Lawson was impressed with Brown's work ethic and secured his release with a promise to keep him employed for two years. Brown was paroled on June 14, 1952. Brown went on to work with both of Lawson's sons, and came back to visit the family from time to time throughout his career. Shortly after being paroled he joined the gospel group the Ever-Ready Gospel Singers, featuring Byrd's sister Sarah. Music career 1954–1961: The Famous Flames Brown joined Bobby Byrd's group in 1954. The group had evolved from the Gospel Starlighters, an a cappella gospel group, to an R&B group with the name the Avons. He reputedly joined the band after one of its members, Troy Collins, died in a car crash. Along with Brown and Byrd, the group consisted of Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred Pulliam, Nash Knox and Nafloyd Scott. Influenced by R&B groups such as Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, the Orioles and Billy Ward and his Dominoes, the group changed its name, first to the Toccoa Band and then to the Flames. Nafloyd's brother Baroy later joined the group on bass guitar. Brown, Byrd and Keels switched lead positions and instruments, often playing drums and piano. Johnny Terry later joined, by which time Pulliam and Oglesby had long left. Berry Trimier became the group's first manager, booking them at parties near college campuses in Georgia and South Carolina. The group had already gained a reputation as a good live act when they renamed themselves the Famous Flames. In 1955, the group contacted Little Richard while performing in Macon. Richard convinced the group to get in contact with his manager at the time, Clint Brantley, at his nightclub. Brantley agreed to manage them after seeing the group audition. He then sent them to a local radio station to record a demo session, where they performed their own composition "Please, Please, Please", which was inspired when Little Richard wrote the words of the title on a napkin and Brown was determined to make a song out of it. The Famous Flames eventually signed with King Records' Federal subsidiary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and issued a re-recorded version of "Please, Please, Please" in March 1956. The song became the group's first R&B hit, selling over a million copies. None of the.... Discover the James Brown popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Brown books.
Best Seller James Brown Books of 2024
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Get On Up
NBCUniversalAn inside look at the new James Brown movie, Get On Up, with a foreword by Mick Jagger, intro by Tate Taylor and exclusive photos from the set. Awardwinning filmmakers, cast and cr...
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The Samurai Inheritance
James DouglasJamie Saintclair embarks on another fullthrottle historical adventure an absolute pageturner! If you love Dan Brown, Chris Kuzneski and Scott Mariani you will love this! READERS ...
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Fear Thy Neighbor
Fern MichaelsA thrilling new book from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of No Way Out, that fans of Nora Roberts and Rachel Caine won’t want to miss! One woman’s pictureperfect island s...
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The Dark Crusader
Alistair MacleanA classic tale of espionage, secret missions and exotic locations which outBonds Bond, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.Eight job advertisements.Eight jobs. Eight s...
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Labyrinth
Catherine CoulterFrom “one of the bonafide rock stars of the thriller genre” (The Real Book Spy) comes another tour de force in the #1 New York Times bestselling FBI Thriller series following agent...
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The Atlantis Prophecy
Thomas GreaniasAn ancient organization more powerful than the federal government has targeted Washington. They'll stop at nothing to destroy the republic and raise an empire. The adventure begins...
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The Girl Who Survived
Lisa JacksonIn this deviously volatile, deliciously creepy thriller from the #1 New York Times bestseller, the lone survivor of a brutal family massacre must uncover the awful truth about the ...
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The Isis Covenant
James DouglasJamie Saintclair embarks on another actionpacked historical adventure, guaranteed to have you gripped from page one! Perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Chris Kuzneski and Scott Mariani...
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Dream Boogie
Peter GuralnickFrom the acclaimed author of Last Train to Memphis, this is the definitive biography of Sam Cooke, one of most influential singers and songwriters of all time. Sam Cooke was a...
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The Sixth Day
Catherine CoulterSpecial agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine take on a criminal mastermind in the next captivating thriller in the New York Times bestselling A Brit in the FBI series. “Coul...
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The Excalibur Codex
James DouglasJamie Saintclair embarks on another actionpacked historical adventure, guaranteed to have you gripped from page one! A must read for fans of Dan Brown, Chris Kuzneski and Scott Mar...
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The Glory Boys
Douglas ReemanAs we've come to expect from multimillion copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman, The Glory Boys expertly weaves close and detailed knowledge of the actual events of WWII into a si...
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The Last Second
Catherine CoulterThe New York Times bestselling Brit in the FBI series continues with this thrilling “popcorn movie in print form” (Associated Press) pitting special agents Nicholas Drummond and Mi...
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The First Time
Colton UnderwoodFrom former football player and star of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette comes a fascinating and eyeopening behindthescenes look at his dramafilled season on the hit reality show....
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The Guns of Navarone
Alistair MacleanThe classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.The guns of Navarone, huge and catastrophically accurate, embedded atop an impregnable iron fortr...
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Where Eagles Dare
Alistair MacleanThe classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.Winter 1943, and US General Carnaby has been captured by the Nazis. He is being held in a fortres...
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The First Sister
Linden A. LewisCombining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the whiteknuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera filled with “lush prose” (Publishers Weekly) follows a co...
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Insidious
Catherine CoulterIn this thrilling entry in #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter’s FBI series, FBI agents Savich and Sherlock must discover who is trying to murder Venus Rasmussen...
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HMS Ulysses
Alistair MacleanThe novel that launched the astonishing career of one of the 20th century’s greatest writers of action and suspense – an acclaimed classic of heroism and the sea in World War II.Co...
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River of Death
Alistair MacleanThe classic tale of adventure and the dark secrets of a lost city in the Brazilian jungle, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.THE LOST CITYHamilton knows the way to t...
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Big Bad Breakfast
John CurrenceFrom the James Beard Award winner, Top Chef Masters contestant, and acclaimed author comes this fun, festive, and highly caffeinated ode to the joys and rituals of the Southern bre...
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The One
R.J. SmithThe definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musici...
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The Eagles of Heart Mountain
Bradford Pearson“One of Ten Best History Books of 2021.” Smithsonian MagazineFor fans of The Boys in the Boat and The Storm on Our Shores, this impeccably researched, deeply moving, neverbeforetol...
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The Last Frontier
Alistair MacleanAn undercover mission beyond the Iron Curtain to recover a defected scientist goes disastrously wrong – a classic early Cold War thriller from the acclaimed master of action and su...
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Enigma
Catherine CoulterFrom New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter comes the heartstopping twentyfirst installment in the electrifying FBI Thriller series.After Agent Dillon Savich stops a c...
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Seven Deadly Wonders
Matthew ReillyIndiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in this nonstop actionpacked thriller about the greatest treasure hunt of all timea headlong race to find the seven wonders of the ancient wor...
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Relentless Pursuit
Bradley J. Edwards“A thrilling pageturner about the pursuit of justice” (New York Post), this is the definitive story of the case against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the corrupt system t...
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The Rejected Stone
Al SharptonLord knows, Reverend Al has had his personal and very public ups and downs, but he's come out bigger and better than everthough the host of MSNBC's PoliticsNation is as fiery and o...
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The Doomsday Testament
James DouglasFrom bestselling author James Douglas, a gripping and enthralling historical conspiracy thriller a must read for fans of Dan Brown, James Becker and Chris Kuzneski.READERS ARE LOV...
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ABA Programs for Kids with Autism
Dr. Gary BrownThis newly updated book contains 25 ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) programs, plus many more helpful tips for helping your child with Autism. These ABA programs are designed as g...
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The 13th Hour
Richard DoetschA mesmerizing thriller told in reverse! The 13th Hour is the story of a man given the chance to go back in time in onehour increments to prevent a vicious crime from destroying h...
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The Atlantis Revelation
Thomas GreaniasFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Raising Atlantis and The Atlantis Prophecy comes an explosive new international thriller jampacked with political and prophetic intrig...
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Frederick Douglass
David W. BlightWinner of the Pulitzer Prize in History“Extraordinary…a great American biography” (The New Yorker) of the most important AfricanAmerican of the nineteenth century: Frederick Dougla...
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A Fine Romance
Candice BergenIn this New York Times bestseller, acclaimed actress Candice Bergen “shows how to do a memoir right...The selfpossessed, witty, and downtoearth voice that made Bergen’s first memoi...
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Deadlock
Catherine CoulterThis “intricate…extravagant thriller with a paranormal tinge” (Publishers Weekly)” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter finds Savich and Sherlock confronting t...
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The Ark
Boyd MorrisonIn nationally bestselling author Boyd Morrison’s debut, the unraveling of one of the greatest archeological mysteries from the bibleNoah’s Arkcould threaten civilization itself in ...
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The Book of Secrets
Tom HarperFrom the pen of prizewinning author Tom Harper, this is a highoctane adventure thriller in the bestselling tradition of The Da Vinci Code. Jampacked with murder, mystery and mindbl...
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Flood Tide
Clive CusslerA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily MailThe fourteenth incredible Dirk Pitt classic from multimillioncopy king of the adventure novel, Clive Cussler.Tracking a...
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Paradox
Catherine Coulter#1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter delves into the mind of an escaped mental patient obsessed with revenge in this “eerie, unsettling, and breathlessly terrifyi...
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Shock Wave
Clive CusslerA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily MailThe thirteenth adrenalinefilled Dirk Pitt classic from multimillioncopy king of the adventure novel, Clive Cussler.A hu...
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The Mozart Conspiracy
Scott MarianiA centuriesold mystery. An “accidental” death. A conspiracy that may end in murder. Former British Special Air Service officer Ben Hope is running for his life. Enlisted by Leigh L...
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Ice Station Zebra
Alistair MacleanA classic thriller from the bestselling master of action and suspense.The atomic submarine Dolphin has impossible orders: to sail beneath the ice floes of the Arctic Ocean, and som...
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Crazy Love You
Lisa UngerNo one writes “good scary fun” (The Washington Post) better than New York Times bestselling master of psychological suspense Lisa Unger. With more than 1.7 million books sold in mo...