Sunday, May 3, 2026
‘Get Up Offa That Thing’ and celebrate ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown
‘Get Up Offa That Thing’ and celebrate ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/3/800030962/series/get-up-offa-that-thing-and-celebrate-godfather-of-soul-james-brown/
‘Get Up Offa That Thing’ and celebrate ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown
Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 300 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.
Happy James Brown Day! The legendary musician and showman was born on May 3, 1933. He would have been 93 years old today.
From his Musician Guide biography by Simon Glickman:
In the book about his life, Living in America, James Brown told the author, “I never try to express what I actually did,” regarding his influence on the American soul scene. “I wouldn’t try to do that, ’cause definition’s such a funny thing. What’s put together to make my music–it’s something which has real power. It can stir people up and involve ’em. But it’s just something I came to hear.”
The music that James Brown heard in his head–and conveyed to his extraordinary musicians with an odd combination of near-telepathic signals and vicious browbeating–changed the face of soul. By stripping away much of the pop focus that had clouded pure rhythm and blues, Brown found a rhythmic core that was at once primally sexual and powerfully spiritual. Shouting like a preacher over bad-to-the-bone grooves and wicked horn lines, he unleashed a string of hits through the 1960s and early 1970s; he was also a formative influence on such rock and soul superstars as Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, Prince, and Michael Jackson, among countless others.
[…]
Brown was born in the South–sources vary, but generally have him hailing from Georgia or South Carolina–and grew up in Augusta, Georgia, struggling to survive. At the age of four, he was sent to live with his aunt, who oversaw a brothel. Under such circumstances, he grew up fast; by his teens he drifted into crime. In the words of Timothy White, who profiled the singer in his book Rock Stars, “Brown became a shoeshine boy. Then a pool-hall attendant. Then a thief.” At 16 he went to jail for multiple car thefts. Though initially sentenced to 8-16 years of hard labor, he got out in under four for good behavior. After unsuccessful forays into boxing and baseball, he formed a gospel group called the Swanees with his prison pal Johnny Terry.
Brown’s official website tells more of his story:
Nearly stillborn, then revived by an aunt in a country shack in the piney woods outside Barnwell, South Carolina, on May 3, 1933, Brown was determined to be Somebody. He called his group “Famous” before they had a right to; called himself “Mr. Dynamite” before his first Pop hit; and proclaimed himself “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” before the music business knew his name. His was a fantasy, a sweet dream. But James Brown had singular talent, and the vision to hire the baddest. In his own time, he became “Soul Brother Number ONE,” a larger-than-life Godfather of Soul.
Some say it was a freedom too bold. Night after night, on stage and in the studio, his blood swirled, his legs split and his body shook. But talking to a crowd stretched at his feet in the late 1960s, James Brown reassured them: “If you ain’t got enough soul, let me know. I’ll loan you some! Huh! I got enough soul to burn.”
{…]
His main concern was hustling; his main outlet was sports. He liked music: gospel when he attended church; big-band swing and early rhythm & blues that he heard that he heard on the radio and on jukeboxes, particularly Louis Jordan with his Tympany Five was a special inspiration.
In 1946, all of 13 years old, Brown first tried his musical luck with his Cremona Trio, a penny-making sideline. His career halted temporarily when he was imprisoned for petty theft in 1949.
Paroled in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1952, under the sponsorship of the local Byrd family, Brown started to make music his principal motive. Initially, he sang gospel with Sarah Byrd and the church club, then joined her brother Bobby Byrd’s locally established group, known as the Gospel Starlighters or the Avons, depending on what or where they performed.
There was no cohesive plan. Transporting illegal hootch across the state lines was a bigger moneymaker than their day jobs and night gigs. Gradually, though, singing rhythm & blues seemed to make the most sense.
[…]
Too poor to afford horns, “either James or I would whistle or we’d scat sing it together,” Byrd added. “Our voices always did go well together.”
The Avons did pop ballads, too, for the afternoon tea parties and such. But in clubs and high schools, Brown, having emerged as the group leader, was bit more reckless.
“The dancing y’all seen later on ain’t nothing to what he used to do back then,” Byrd said. “James could stand flat-footed and flip over into a split. He’d tumble, too, over and over like in gymnastics. We’d say, ‘What’s wrong with you? When it’s time to record, you’ll have killed yourself.’”
There are quite a few excellent documentaries on YouTube that tell his story, including “James Brown: The Man, the Music, & the Message”:
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American musician. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by various honorific nicknames, some of which include “the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business”, “Godfather of Soul”, “Mr. Dynamite”, and “Soul Brother No. 1”.[1] In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.[2] Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural induction in New York on January 23.
Soul Connection (1978) | The James Brown Story
James Brown: The Godfather of Funk | Meet The Man Behind the Music and the Grooves
Renowned as the “Godfather of Soul & Funk,” James Brown is a pioneer of funk music and an iconic figure in 20th-century music and dance. This program showcases interviews with Brown, live performances, and conversations with band members Bobby Byrd and Maceo Parker Jr.
James Brown’s Last Chance – 2005 VH1 documentary
2005 vh1 episode of documentary series, Inside/Out. Follows 70-year-old James Brown as he hopes for one more time in the spotlight. He and his entourage tour the world, with plans for it all to conclude with a tribute show to himself at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. But not everything goes as planned . . .
James Brown – Beat The Devil (2002) | Directed by Tony Scott HD
James Brown, Clive Owen, Gary Oldman and Danny Trejo star in this hyperkinetic short film from the director of True Romance. Commissioned by BMW to promote their cars, it was one of a series of shorts directed by top tier tHollywood filmmakers
When documenting Brown, it’s important to look at the history of The Famous Flames.
How The Famous Flames Created the James Brown Sound
“Please, Please, Please” – James Brown and The Famous Flames
Brown also made his mark on civil rights history.
The Night James Brown Saved Boston
April 5, 1968. It is the day after one of the most catastrophic moments in the history of the civil rights movement. Backstage at the Boston Garden, the mood is somber, appropriately funereal. Just 24 hours ago, Martin Luther King, Jr., the most important and beloved African American leader in America, has been assassinated, and though James Brown is booked that night for a show, nobody really wants to go onstage and play. On April 4, 1968, the leader of the nonviolent resistance movement, Martin Luther King, was assassinated in Memphis. On April 5, 1968, James Brown sang, and the city of Boston didn’t burn down. This film tells the story of the pivotal role that James Brown—and that particular James Brown concert—played in the political, social and cultural history of the country, focusing on 1968, a defining year for America.
This film tells the story of the pivotal role that James Brown—and that particular James Brown concert—played in the political, social and cultural history of the country, focusing on 1968, a defining year for America. Using actual performance footage and the personal recollections of James Brown’s band members, friends like activist Reverend Al Sharpton, personal manager Charles Bobbitt, Princeton University Professor Dr. Cornel West, Boston citizens, those who attended the concert, politicians (such as former Boston Mayor Kevin White) and Newsweek’s David Gates, The Night James Brown Saved Boston tells the compelling story of an artist at the absolute peak of his powers using his artistry for the greater good.
When I was young, this was our anthem:
Say it Loud- I’m Black and Proud | James Brown
James Brown – Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud – Live on Soul Train, 1973
Here’s a least-expected duo:
He was buried with full honors after his death on Christmas Day, 2006:
James Brown’s Homegoing (2006)
Please join me in the comments section below to continue this birthday celebration!
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Saturday, May 2, 2026
the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem
the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem
Remember, remember! The fifth of trumpvember
the 40 days of trumpmas - a serial poem
for 40 days the trumpeter reigns,
his lies and hate on whom he disdains,
but election day will come so soon,
we'll no longer hear the orange baboon;
in 39 days full of world wide problems.
we could elect him to get rid of the muslims,
but as he'll rant on trivialities of his presidential life,
what could be worse? - you could be his wife;
in 38 days just what will you do?
the donald has said he likes lgbtq,
but as he bullies his women and all his men too,
if youre questioning, what stops him from bullying you?
in just 37 days, some people are saying,
(or pleading or hoping or some even praying)
the duke of prunes will dye his forelock purple my friend,
and thus make america grape again,
our days are down to just 36,
before our problems the don will fix,
he will on day one do what hes said - true,
he'll wall out our enemies - and fat women too!
on the 35th day of trumpmas
yes just seven weeks remain!
will the polls and tallies deliver us
donald with his golden mane?
34 days and the vice-pipers have piped,
though pence didnt say why donalds suit shouldnt be striped,
he wouldnt defend his master's string pulling,
to make america great? - who do they think they're fooling?
just 33 days till the macho tornado,
unless its blown away by hurricane machado,
with women and voters he has so much to loose.
keep your mouth shut donald (unless youre changing your shoes)
32 days and we’ve been hit by the big blowhard,
donald spoke here in fla (oh, we had a hurricane too)
this administration gives us playing the race card, a weak economy, and unemployment
but if you want a job you could be donald’s campaign manager (unless youre a jew)
31 days, just a month, remains;
will the donald say hes sorry, and his baser impulses restrain?
or keep blaming bill clinton for our moral demise;
when trump speaks to us, our NO votes must be our replies!
election comes this time (in 30 days) each 4 years,
time for praise and tears and fears;
as polls will open in many states,
vote early, please dont vote late!
down to 29, just a leap february,
and theres still the donald quite
contrary;
donald donald, how does your garden grow?
quoth the master debater, "with pretty maids groped in a row"
just 28 days - later or soon,
and the zombies will rise, led by the big goon;
unless everyone gets a reality inoculation,
i might have to move to canada for a well deserved vacation;
now just 27, less than 4 weeks,
no time for you to say 'yikes!' or 'eeeks!'
obama wants to go to mars and colonize it for man,
lets send trump tomorrow! and colonize it for orangutan!
26 days are all that remain,
will our democracy and economy go down the drain?
if we all keep listening to the blustering oaf,
will he give jobs and prosperity? - or just half a loaf
25 days - will more women speak?,
of the antics of donald who the presidency seeks,
dating 14 year old girls or groping their mothers,
how did the gop pick him over the others?,
24 days - were down to two dozen,
the next woman who speaks just might be your cousin,
or mother or sister, aunt, niece, even daughter,
describing the circumstance in which donald caught her,
23 days left and trump doesnt yet have as many accusers,
as cosby, but he assures us that they are all really losers,
sent by bankers or hillary with secret agendas,
to disrupt our election of him - our defender!,
22 days and we know charity begins at home,
but donalds attention is so prone to roam,
his gift that disappeared to 911 survivors from his foundation?,
oops! maybe donald spent it on a vacation,
21 days and trump says the election may be rig-ly,
if hes not the winner and his total's not big-ly,
tremendously higher than hillary gets,
he warns his supporters may all lose their wits,
20 days left and while george zimmerman still walks free,
the man who shot at HIM got 20 years - while trayvon got eternity,
trump wants us to support our cops and maintain law and order,
he'll put all the inner city dwellers in jail, and send the immigrant criminals far across the border,
19 days left till we all go to pretend,
to elect someone to lead us, as if on it our lives depend,
but wise man, donald trump, already really knows,
who we really voted for - a wolf in president's clothes?,
18 days and we bad hombres demand a rebate,
on the ill feelings left since the comments of one candidate,
the debaters have met in their final grudge match,
but only donald can say from whose hands victory will be snatched,
17 days and our government is corrupt with quid pro quo,
did you take latin at wharton? is that how you know?,
donald wants us to fire at them all - the bureaucrats lined up in rows,
and believe me, corruption is a subject. that donald really knows,
16 days - lets set term limits on all our office holders,
and put all our women in binders - or maybe in folders,
donalds endless complaints are becoming a sour whine,
have a little cheese with that, from wisconsin, where
hillary's doing fine,
15 days and on stocking covered thighs did linger,
two miniature hands with two thumbs and eight tiny fingers,
they belonged to the donald who believed that he owned,
any thing that he wanted - or anyone he got alone,
14 days yes only two weeks,
till the duke of orange assends to the throne he seeks?,
to rule all americans, the strong and the weak?,
and dominate the globe with power that's peak?,
the 13th day to go - does that seem unlucky?,
not for donald whos lately been appearing quite plucky,
claiming media, polls, and parties are against him,
and rallying his multitudes with wit waxing dim,
on the 12th day of trumpmas donald awoke with a jerk,
promptly fired his latest campaign manager (who considered that a perk),
if youre "AAAfroAAAmurikan" and unemployed i can put you to work,
barked donald the businessman from behind his sly smirk,
it's the 11th and engineer casey trump is in the caboose,
i hear some of you saying oh no! what's the use,
our campaign will probably just go off the tracks,
but donald says its ok - cause he's got "the blacks",
just ten days left yes only one-zero,
til donald is hoping that he'll be your hero,
as new hillary emails come under investigation,
donald hopes to rename camp david to camp donald for
his vacations,
like a cat has nine lives we're left with only 9 days,
till we're subject to donald? and his old wicked ways,
on foreign affairs he says he'll save us from isis,
but his domestic affairs are misogyny and crisis,
our days are numbered - yes only eight,
till once again we make america great,
by getting rid of candidates who have nothing to add,
goodbye donald you wont make america sad,
just one week to go - its day minus seven,
till america's lifted above - to trumpty dump heaven?,
where for rich folks like donald opportunity abounds,
and we keep the working poor with a wall that surrounds,
how the time it does fly its already day 6,
till americans problems the donald will fix,
his solutions begin on trumpday number one,
dont you like them? they'll come at the barrel of a gun,
Five days to go, baby, One in five,
No one here gets out alive, now,
david dukes not opposed to all jews,
he backs trump - who are you going to choose?,
only 4 days left till the armaged-don,
he'll seize power by the horns once he has won,
and donnie will be what he longs for - a winner,
using the FBI to wreak havoc on hillary the sinner,
only three left, just a triad of days,
and the donald his supporters continues to amaze,
with hoopla and folderoll made up in his head,
his winning temperament will leave us all dead,
just a pair of days - 2 - till trump paradise,
since these words you're reading please heed my advice,
the creatures that surround us are beginning to bite,
'blacks for trump' fear the Illuminati so lets turn out their light,
just a single day left till our thanksgiving,
deliver us from donald and preserve the living,
forget sanity and disgard your misgivings,
but pray hard to your gods that they'll be forgiving,
since we've got the nukes why can't we use'em?,
on the road to 2016 why couldn't we lose HIM?,
and trumpmas now has finally come,
the tallies will count up to a winning sum,
unless the earth is struck soon by a cataclysmic comet,
to elect a candidate who just makes you want to vomit?,
we wish you a merry trumpmas at this time each 4 years,
if you have'nt voted you've lost the chance to mitigate your fears,
cause donald duck is ready to lead, forget your crocodile tears,
so you'd better get the vaseline and lubricate your rears!
stay informed 1
stay informed 1
https://www.buildtheresistance.org/
https://indivisible.org/resource/guide
https://choosedemocracy.us/
https://choosedemocracy.us/resist-list/
https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/
https://accountable.us/home/trump-accountability-war-room/
https://deptofpeoplewhowork.org/
https://www.citizen.org/
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