Though he was primarily a singer and entertainer onstage (one of the best in popular music history, mind), James Brown was a well-rounded musician, with a crystal-clear vision of how his endlessly energetic songs should be presented. Famously, Brown would fine his band members for – among other offenses – playing a single wrong note onstage.
With that in mind, Soul Brother No. 1, as he was known, rightfully gets a lot of the credit for the transformation of his sound in the mid-'60s – from up-tempo R&B shouters and show-stopping, soulful ballads to something new entirely; a minimalist style that leaned on lock-step grooves. It would come to be known as funk.
