James Joseph Brown, Jr. was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century popular music. His musical style transformed gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk, earning him the title "The Godfather of Soul."
Beginning his professional music career in 1953, he was renowned for his shouting vocals, feverish dancing and unique rhythmic style. He continued to score hits in every decade through the 1980s and in 2006 his last world tour continued to be greeted with positive reviews. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003.
Brown was born in the South and grew up in Augusta, Georgia, struggling to survive. He was married four times and had six children, one of which died in a car crash in 1973. He lived the latter part of his life in a riverfront home in Beech Island, South Carolina directly across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. In 2006 the City of Augusta unveiled a bronze statue of the singer.
Brown was admitted to a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on December 24, 2006 with severe pneumonia. He died Christmas morning around 1:45 a.m. at the age of 73, and was quoted as saying "I'm going away tonight," sometime before he passed away.
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