James Brown (Born: 3 May 1933  Died: 25 December 2006)

James Joseph Brown is the founding father of Funk and the Godfather of Soul. Jimmy Page said of Brown that he was “almost a musical genre in his own right.” Born in South Carolina and raised in extreme poverty, Brown’s career spanned six decades. His music was pivotal in the development of Soul, Funk, and Hip Hop. In the case of the latter, listen to his half sung, half spoken vocal style and riffs and it is clear why many consider him to be the founding father of Hip Hop. He is reputedly the most sampled artist of all time. His performances were electrifyingly entertaining and Brown delighted in leaving his audiences exhausted. On stage, Brown was a perfectionist to the point of being tyrannical, fining musicians who failed to do things the way he directed. The tracks contained in this sampler of Brown’s early work include Please, Please, Please (an over-written gospel song, Brown’s first chart hit and his signature song), Rhythm and Blues hit Mashed Potatoes USA, and Try Me, the follow up hit to Please, Please, Please. In his personal life, Brown had many run-ins with the authorities, most famously the 1988 high speed police chase he was involved in and the subsequent six year prison sentence he received, of which Brown served two years. These frequent brushes with the law did little to diminish his influence. Artists like Sly & the Family Stone, Funkadelic, and Miles Davis were all inspired by Brown. Michael Jackson also proclaimed Brown was his “ultimate idol.”

Jackie Wilson (Born: 9 June 1934  Died: 21 January 1984)

Jack Leroy Wilson Jnr was born in Michigan. He was known as Mr Excitement because of his energetic stage performances. Things didn’t start out too promisingly for the young Wilson. He was a High School drop out, a gang member and a juvenile delinquent. He started out in 1953 as a member of the group, Billy Ward and His Dominoes, before going solo in 1957. His first solo recording, included here, was the smash hit Reet Petite. Other notable recordings in this collection include To Be Loved and Lonely Teardrops. Close friends with Elvis Presley, Wilson was often described as the Black Elvis. When asked about this, Elvis replied with reverence, “I guess that makes me the white Jackie Wilson.” Jackie Wilson’s end was tragic, suffering a heart attack in September 1975 while performing Lonely Teardrops on stage at a nightclub in New Jersey. He was resuscitated but fell into a coma. He died in debt in a New Jersey nursing home in 1984. His stunningly successful career influenced a plethora of stars including James Brown, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and of course, Elvis ‘The King’ Presley. The Commodores song Night Shift was written as a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye who passed away the same year.

Ben E. King (Born: 28 September 1938  Died: 30 April 2015)

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson in North Carolina, Ben E. King was an extraordinarily talented singer and songwriter as well as a philanthropist. Early in his career and under his birth name, he was a member of The Five Crowns and went on to become one of the principal lead singers of The Drifters before leaving in 1960 to forge a solo career. One of the first wave of soul musicians, as a solo artist, King enjoyed success with hits including Stand By Me,  Spanish Harlem and Supernatural Thing , which can be heard in this selection of King’s key work. He is most associated with Stand By Me, featured in the Record Industry of America’s Songs of the Century. It is also the name of King’s charitable foundation that works to provide youth education. Amongst those claiming King as an influence were John Lennon, and in a more contemporary vein, Public Enemy’s Chuck D.