Filed under: Macworld
RIP James Joseph Brown, Jr.
As has been widely reported, the Godfather of Soul departed an Atlanta hospital for his final concert tour in the wee morning hours of Christmas Day. James J. Brown, Jr. was 73 years old and suffering from pneumonia when he died.While JB's Apple connection may not be obvious, those of us who were fortunate enough to attend the Mac OS 8 launch party at Macworld Boston in 1997 will not soon forget the appearance of the "surprise musical act" onstage. Brown tore the roof off the joint with his classic numbers and even threw in an enthusiastic "Mac-World! Ap-ple!" chant. Even for a corporate gig and a roomful of skinny geeks, he was not about to phone it in. It was an incredible show.
Farewell, Soul Brother #1.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JB said 3:15PM on 12-26-2006
Wow!
You know with the wife beating and drug abuse... he sure was one helluva roll-model.
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Michael Rose said 3:21PM on 12-26-2006
I wouldn't say he was a role model (or even a "roll-model"), but he was a singularly talented performer and a musical legend in his own time.
Plus, you forgot to mention the shotgun waving and high-speed police chase.
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spookus said 2:19PM on 12-28-2006
Oh give me a break...When Michael Jordan dies, JB will probably be the first to say he had a gambling problem. Everybody has their own personal issues. James Brown is a legend and I want to thank TUAW for giving props to the God father of soul.
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Paul said 4:09PM on 12-26-2006
He may have had his issues with the law ;-) but there is no denying his contribution to many music genres. Talent is talent !
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ChrisM70 said 4:26PM on 12-26-2006
Mr. Dynamite.
The Godfather of Soul.
The Man with the Crown.
One of the most influential and talented artists of ALL TIME.
His words and music were an inspiration (even if his actions sometimes weren't).
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Mac Diva said 9:36PM on 12-27-2006
Props to Michael Rose for recognizing royalty when he sees it! James Brown was a rare person -- talented and original. Yes, he was probably a misogynist. But, those are a dime a dozen. People with his degree of ability in any field are one in many millions.
That said, I will be moseying over to the iTunes Store to pay tribute by downloading more of the Godfather's oeuvre.
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Mac Diva said 9:32PM on 12-26-2006
Props to Michael Rose for recognizing royalty when he sees it! James Brown was a rare person -- talented and original. Yes, he was probably a misogynist. But, those are a dime a dozen. People with his degree of ability in any field are one in many millions.
That said, I will be moseying over to the iTunes Store to pay tribute by downloading more of the Godfather's oeuvre.
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Chris said 10:59PM on 12-26-2006
Remembering the Hardest Working Man in Show Business here - http://www.culturebully.com/archives/2328
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Stealth43 said 11:17AM on 12-27-2006
please find somewhere else to fight your ghosts JB. Raggin on a deadman takes real no-style points.
Thanks Michael for your very heart-felt tribute to Mr. D
Godspeed James Brown
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Brian Marston said 12:12AM on 12-27-2006
James Brown Is a Bad Man, a mix by DJ Play:
http://myspace.com/djplay_stl
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buster said 8:55AM on 12-27-2006
I'm wondering since when rock/soul stars are supposed to be good role models. When did that change happen? And how weird is it. Pop music used to be about rebellion, not about becoming Good Citizens. Without sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll there wouldn't be rock 'n' roll.
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drphred said 11:52AM on 12-27-2006
I was at that Apple party. I went without knowing that James Brown was scheduled for it. When a band came out and started chanting "James Brown" I thought it was a cover band. Then the Godfather himself came out. It was an incredible show.
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kontorhotel said 6:33PM on 12-27-2006
Sad sad sad,,, he was the greatest.. I have my macbook pro loaded with his songs.. A giant loss to us all.. strange how these things always seem to happen at xmas time !!
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Mike Rose said 2:17PM on 12-27-2006
He was billed as a "surprise musical performer" so I don't think many of the invitees knew that he was going to be there. I certainly didn't.
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jesus said 10:02AM on 12-28-2006
anyone have a link to the video?
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