Here, have some sacred music on Sunday...

[onager]

New HBO documentary started this week: Mr. Dynamite - The Rise of James Brown

Produced by JB's good friend Mick Jagger. Directed by Alex Gibney, who did the 2012 documentary about child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Mea Maxima Culpa.

Lots of great concert footage and interviews with people who knew Brown from his earliest days. This is a "warts and all" documentary. Brown was often a jerk, especially to his band members. And his chumminess with Richard Nixon pissed off a lot of people. Including his old friend Al Sharpton, who appears in the docu.

On-topic: when he was starting out, Brown got in trouble for playing juke joints on Saturday night and churches the next morning.

Younger members may have never heard of James Brown. Except you have, if you've heard any rap or hip-hop music for the past 30 years or so. His stuff is often sampled, and probably still will be when humans are living on Mars.

http://m.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. I watched it and thought it was excellent.

Mick Jagger owns the rights to the story of James Brown's life. I also saw the James Brown movie, Get On Up, back in August.
They were both great, but the HBO show explained more technical stuff about his music and had more interviews with his band members talking about the structure of his music.

I say the only singer with enough soul to share a stage with James Brown and not get blown off the stage by the sheer force of James Brown's talent was Robert Palmer.

Recorded at the Taboo Club, Detroit, 1987. "I Feel Good, Try Me, Addicted to Love". Wow! More soul than most people can handle!

[onager]

2. Thanks!

I picked up this bio of James Brown a few months ago but haven't read it yet. Looks interesting and it is now on top of the "read next" pile:

"The One: The Life and Music of James Brown" by RJ Smith

http://www.amazon.com/The-One-Music-James-Brown/dp/1592407420