Get On Up, James Brown

James Brown, the “godfather of soul” who revolutionized R&B and set a new standard for live performance with his electrifying dance moves, died early Christmas morning in Atlanta.

Mr. Brown died of heart failure at Emory Crawford Long Hospital, where he’d been admitted Sunday for pneumonia. He was reportedly 73 – although many experts say he was actually 78 and he’d shaved off a few years in the 1950s to make himself seem younger.

Whatever his age, he was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. His unorthodox brand of soul and his kinetic showmanship influenced everyone from Mick Jagger to Michael Jackson to the countless rappers who sampled his songs. Though often imitated, few artists rivaled the man known as “Mr. Dynamite,” “Soul Brother Number One” and “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.”

“There’s too much wisdom behind my music for them to get it right,” Mr. Brown told The Dallas Morning News in 2003. “The big people like me and Elvis and the Beatles, the young acts just can’t do this kind of music.”

Get on up and rest in peace, Godfather of Soul. Angels beware: he’s a sex machine.

(Via Fox11AZ.com.)

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