“Smith is perhaps the only one who has been able to put James in the proper context of his contribution to both pop culture and our way of life,” exclaims the Rev in The Summer Reading issue of the New
Come join Roger Guenveur Smith and RJ Smith in conversation this Sunday, April 29th at 5PM as they celebrate the publication of The One: The Life and Music of James Brown. Meet us at Fix Coffee, 2100 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026. There will be a book signing afterwards. Continue reading
In a sign of just how thoroughly Brown’s music colonized imaginations around the globe, Chris Menist wrote a fascinating story recently in The Guardian [italicize] about haunting the antique shops of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, carrying a portable turntable as he went “Record Hunting in Yemen.” Continue reading
This week the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland inducts the guys that stood with James Brown when he got his act together, the Famous Flames. Brown was a member of the Flames, and the Flames were originally Bobby Byrd’s crew, but Brown fought his way to a leadership role and the guys receded to a crucial supporting spot. Continue reading
James Brown doesn’t talk too much in The One, RJ Smith’s excellent new biography of Mr. Dynamite. Continue reading
