Radio LBB: Give the Drummer Some
Cem Bayazit, senior producer, artist and creative services at amp, shares a playlist paying homage to James Brown
Image credit: Roberto Garcia, amp, creative producer, social and content
Here’s a (not-so) controversial take: James Brown is the most influential artist of the 20th century. Before the highbrow crowd reaches for Stravinsky, or baby boomers instinctively invoke The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, hear us out.
Born in South Carolina in 1933 and raised in extreme poverty, James Brown rose from the margins to become one of the most commanding figures in music. After early success in gospel-inflected R&B, he spent the 1960s relentlessly refining a new sound: raw, gritty and propulsive. James ran his bands like military units, fined musicians for missed cues, and demanded absolute obedience. By the early 1970s, he had become a global icon and a musician whose influence far outpaced chart positions or record sales.
The résumé is hard to argue with:
The most sampled artist of all time? Check.
Founder of a genre that still reverberates today? No band hit the first beat with more force or intent.
One of the era’s most influential A&Rs and bandleaders? Bootsy Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, Bobby Byrd, Fred Wesley to name a few — all sharpened their instincts under James' ruthless musical discipline.
Best nicknames in the game? No one can top “The Godfather of Soul” or “Mr. Dynamite”.
And yes, there were plenty of dark sides too: Troubles with the tax authorities, abusive and violent behaviour towards his partners and musicians, and that infamously unhinged 1988 CNN interview.
What’s discussed far less is the global reach of James Brown’s sound and persona. His rhythm-first approach and stage presence traveled far beyond the United States. Artists from Brazil to Benin and countless other regions absorbed his musical approach and tried to give it their own spin. Sometimes this influence was explicit. Other times it was subliminal — a feel, a syncopated groove, an adlib, or channeling his stage presence. Few artists in the 20th century sparked such widespread inspiration across multiple generations.
For our third and final playlist in the Radio LBB series, we spotlight bands and recordings from around the globe that are deeply indebted to the Hardest Working Man in Show Business.
