RIP James Brown
December 25, 2006 
James Brown, R&B singer and lifelong entertainer and the self-described “hardest working man in show business,” died early Christmas morning from congestive heart failure. He was 73.
Brown died early Monday at Atlanta’s Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure
James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ dies at 73:
James Brown, the legendary R&B belter, a singer and songwriter who created a foundation for funk and provided the roots of rap, a man of many nicknames but a talent that can only be described as one of a kind, is dead.
Brown died early Monday at Atlanta’s Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure, his agent said. He was 73. […]
Brown — known variously as “the Godfather of Soul,” “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Soul Brother Number One” and “Mr. Dynamite” (and often introduced as all of the above) — was known for his elastic dance moves, razor-sharp musicianship and all-stops-out performances.
James Brown was the quintessential performer. And he never stopped performing either. As he lay in a hospital bed, he reportedly expressed his disappointment in not being able to perform two shows on New Years’ Eve in NYC.
And there’s no doubting Brown’s influence on most of the music that followed — in a multitude of genres — from R&B to funk to disco and hip hop:
He knew what he’d accomplished.
“Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I’m saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me,” he told the AP in 2003.
In honor of James Brown’s contributions to music, and being that he passed away on Christmas, I present you with the refrain to his song “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto,” from his album Funky Christmas:
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Tell him James Brown sent you. Ha!
Go straight to the ghetto.
