I became a James Brown fan when I was in the Army stationed in Germany getting high and listening to all sorts of music. An Army buddy of mine schooled me in JB-101 re: his growing up in extreme poverty, living with an aunt who ran a whore house, fining his band mates for missing notes, his frequent shout outs to Maceo etc.. James’ music was all about the groove and in a mellow frame of mind that worked just fine for me.
In the 80’s he played a show here in the County at the old Leonardtown Armory. I was set to attend but a friend of mine tasked with picking JB up at the airport informed me that JB was fried and pretty much out of it. Based on JB’s condition, my friend said that he wasn’t sure what kind of show JB would be able to put on and recommended that I pass on it. Afterwards, I learned that JB put on a great show. I still regret not having gone and seen live the hardest working man in show business. Here’s his Christmas tune: