James Brown: 1933-2006!

In a year where I have lost many personal favorites in and out of the entertainment world, no one loss in entertainment comes bigger than this one:

"The Godfather of Soul" is gone!

Legendary singer James Brown died today at the age of 73. To say Brown was just influential is almost insulting. He was an incredible force in music for many years.

"Please, Please, Please," "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud", "Sex Machine," "Living in America (from Rocky IV)." The names of his songs just roll off the brain.

I have two personal memories of Mr. Brown. One of the first concerts I ever saw was in 1974 when my family took me to see him at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in DC. For those who don't know, this was an outdoor concert. As Brown started his set, it began to rain and thunderstorm. Brown stopped his show, looked at the crowd and said, "If you all want a show, stay here and I'll give you a show." I got an early indication on why he was "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business."

Many years later, I saw Brown on the American Bandstand 33 1/3 anniversary show. He only performed for about 10 minutes, but managed to change costumes through the set. It was incredible.

James Brown's musical contributions will be felt forever!