Where would music be with out James Brown? The South Carolina-born artist was known for his quick feet, bursts of lyrics and soul songs. Known as the “Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Godfather of Soul,” and “Soul Brother No. 1,” Brown’s music not only soared in the moment but it became the bedrock for much of the sample-happy hip-hop.
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But Brown, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, wasn’t just a star in concert on the stage in real time. He also made for a perfect figure on film. Here below, we wanted to share the three best visual depictions of the man, from the dramatic to the live in-concert.
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Get On Up (2014)
This 2014 movie showcased James Brown’s life from unknown to the incandescent famous. Brown is depicted by the acclaimed actor Chadwick Boseman, known also for his role in Black Panther. From his childhood in the 1930s with an abusive father in rural Georgia, we watch Brown grow up and through sheer hard work, become a well known and important figure in music and culture. At its core, the film asks: What is the price of fame? Check out a trailer here below.
James Brown: Man to Man (1968)
This 1968 concert film was recorded at the historic Apollo Theater in New York in the spring of the same year. The hourlong movie showcases the power of Brown’s music as well as his thoughts on the state of black America in the mid-’60s. The film was released in 2008 with the new title James Brown Live at the Apollo ’68 as part of the box set, I Got the Feelin’: James Brown in the ’60s. Check out the entire work here below.
Live at the Boston Garden: April 5, 1968 (2008)
Another work from 1968, this concert movie was shot just weeks after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee. Set to play in Boston, the city was ready to riot but Brown’s show helped to unify and galvanize the city’s black community as he encouraged them not to seek violence.
According to IMDB: “The mayor of Boston wanted to cancel the scheduled concert fearing a riot. But Boston City Councilmember Tom Atkins, the only African-American on the council, convinced the mayor that canceling it would cause a riot. They decided to have it televised live to help keep peace in the city and urged people to stay home to watch the concert. There was no rioting in Boston that night.” See Brown’s speech to the Boston audience here below.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
