Reviews for The one : the life and music of James Brown
Library Journal
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James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, was an absolutely electrifying live performer most famous for his work in the 1960s and 1970s, cranking out hit after hit from "Please Please Please" to "I Got You (I Feel Good)." In this ambitious biography, Smith (The Great Black Way: L.A. in the 1940s and the Last African American Renaissance) covers Brown's rags-to-riches saga, from his hardscrabble youth to the sad events near the end of his life. In his heyday, he was perhaps the most popular African American artist with a positive message, "I'm Black and I'm Proud," which was an anthem during the civil rights era. In his personal life, Brown had many brushes with the law and struggled with substance abuse. Through it all, he recorded and toured endlessly and earned his reputation as the "hardest working man in show business." -VERDICT Overall, this is a well-researched and well-written biography. It doesn't pull any punches and hits all the high and low points of Brown's remarkable life. Highly recommended for all soul music collections. [See Prepub Alert, 9/19/11.]-Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., Stockton, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Hot on the heels of white soul singer Mitch Ryder's autobiography (Devils and Blue Dresses, 2011) comes Smith's in-depth look at the life and times of the late, great James Brown, self-proclaimed Soul Brother Number One and Hardest Working Man in Show Business and leading inspiration to a generation of singers like Ryder. Brown left an incredible musical legacy, and his effect on the marketing of popular music made by black artists to a mainstream audience is undeniable, perhaps even more pervasive than the legacies of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. But where did Brown come from, and what shaped his identity and his style? Smith considers Brown's life and career story, right down to brushes with the law, including his incarcerations at both an early age and later in life, when age and substance abuse overcame Brown's legendary control of his image and lifestyle. The roster of Brown's backing musicians enumerated here reads like a soul-funk who's who; Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Fred Wesley, among others, would all go on to further fame playing with the likes of George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic. Revealing and incisive (James and Al Sharpton were longtime friends!), this bio should be a cornerstone of soul-music-literature collections.--Tribby, Mike Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Smith, senior editor at L.A. Magazine and winner of the California Book Award, has written the definitive biography of James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." He covers all of Brown's life, from his troubled, destitute childhood in "Georgia-Lina" through his time as an exacting band leader and finishing with his legacy years and death in 2006. Smith's well-researched and nuanced book presents a fascinating and personal portrait of the star and a compelling interpretation of his music. Experienced narrator Kevin R. Free delivers an excellent performance well suited to the pace and enthusiasm of Brown's life. VERDICT Strongly recommended to Brown's fans who'll "go crazy."-Mark Swails, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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Drawing on in-depth interviews with Brown's many friends and music partners, journalist Smith powerfully chronicles Brown's rapid rise from his early days in Augusta, Ga., singing gospel through the pinnacle of his fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s to Brown's sharp fall from grace in the 1990s with headline-grabbing arrests for domestic battery. Brown loved the spectacle of religion that the famous religious itinerant preacher, Daddy Grace, put on at the United House of Prayer in Augusta, and he learned rhythm from the house band there. Later, in his own shows, Brown got so caught up in the spectacle of entertaining that he became a force unto himself whose hungry passion and energy--expressed forcefully and fitfully through his trembling dancing and call-and response singing--transformed his audiences. Brown's music still sounds so alive and continues to mystify because Brown brought others into a world he created that made his art a total experience. Through the pulsing rhythms of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," the funky, hypnotic beat of "(Get on the) Good Foot," and the Black Power anthem, "Say It Loud," Brown, as Smith demonstrates, reshaped rhythm and blues, pumping it full of an energy that moved listeners to ecstasy. Smith's compelling and detailed portrait of one of our greatest musicians reveals affectionately and honestly the reasons we jump up every time "I Feel Good" comes on the radio. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
