r ; k Jf ||p ji „ > ■ Ip > V - » I ■ JAMES BROWN Tennessee (1928) or Georgia (1933) ¡©Si- James Brown once said of Elvis Presley, “He recorded at Harlem’s Apollo Theater on September taught white America to get down.” Brown himself 24th, 1962, sold a million copies and remained on did Elvis one better in that regard: he encouraged ev­ the Billboard charts for more than a year, an unprec­ eryone to do it. Brown, an indefatigable performer edented achievement for a hard-core R&B album. In who still maintains a grading touring schedule for has 1965, with the success of “Papa’s Got a Brand New fine-tuned funk revue, has earned many tides over the Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good),” Brown proceed­ years. ed to break his sound down to a groove as basic and He’s been called “the Hardest-Working Man in bad as you could get. That same year, rock and roll Show Business.” As an impoverished child of the De­ fans were willingly hoodwinked by the slickly re ­ pression, Brown picked cotton, shined shoes and hearsed drama of Brown’s fainting-and-reviving ritual danced for spare change on the streets. He also during “Please Please Please” in The TAJUJ. Show. served time in a reform atory and tried his hand at He’s been called “Soul Brother Number One” for boxing and baseball. When a leg injury put an end to his willingness to “say it loud, I’m black and I’m his big-league pitching aspirations, Brown turned to proud.” In 1968, when he was addressing black so­ music. The gospel vocal group he joined, the Swan- cial issues in his work, Brown appeared on television ees, wasn’t long for the church; they became the secu­ after Martin Luther King’s assassination in an attempt lar Famous Flames and scored a Top Ten R&B hit. to quell racial tension. In 1984, he collaborated with “Please Please Please,” in 1956. Two years later, Afrika Bambaataa on “Unity,” a funk-rap message to Brown and the Famous Flames had their second hit, a new generation. “Try Me.” James then went on to develop has three- He’s been called “the Godfather of Soul,” “the Min­ ring circus of soul, the James Brown Revue, featuring ister of the New, New, Super Heavy Funk” and “the his stage band, the J.B.’s, as well as the Famous Original Disco Man.” Brown’s unrelenting funk has Flames. influenced bands from Sly and the Family Stone to He’s been called “Mr. Dynamite.” EGs live allium, Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Heads. The The James Brown Show live at the Apollo (Volume 1), sound, like its creator, has carried on. « O Major companies have seemed to control ists - along with Nat King Cole, the Mills the industry, almost from the dawn of re­ Brothers, the Ink Spots, the Andrews Sis­ corded music — as far back as cylinder re­ ters, Louis Jordan and Eddy Howard - cordings, when Edison Bell had a virtual were among the most consistent pop sellers monopoly on the market. Yet of the 41 art­ of the postwar years. However, new musical ists nominated for induction into the Rock trends were beginning to take root as a re­ and Roll Hall of Fame, only two began their sult of developments that date back to the recording careers on a major label (Buddy early Thirties, when the Depression caused Holly on Coral, a subsidiary of Decca, and a great migration of Southern rural blacks Gene Vincent on Capitol). The remaining 39 and whites to the industrial cities, taking artists were discovered and signed by the their music with them. The economic boom small independent labels which began to after World War II not only accelerated this emerge just after World War II and which, shift in population, but brought records and I t } by the early Fifties, were flourishing in cit­ phonographs within the reach of more peo­ ies throughout the United States. ple than ever. With the introduction of the flat-disc gramophone, the tendency of the majors to control the marketplace continued. Within ten years, the Victor Talking Machine Com­ pany and American Gramophone (Colum­ bia) dominated the American marketplace, with the Gramophone Company (HMV) and its then-subsidiary, Deutsche-Gramophone, in control of the U.K. and Germany respec­ tively. A similar situation existed with Pathe in France. 0 . BY SEYMOUR STEIN V. important early leaders and are worthy of mention. The country field, too, has had its share of great indies. King, for example, started Although the independent labels were ac­ as a country label, before branching out tive in all areas of music, the vast majority more successfully into R&B. Other impor­ specialized in “race” or rhythm and blues tant early country labels were Abbott, Today, the world record market is virtu­ recordings. The majors, for the most part, which discovered Jim Reaves ; Four Star, ally controlled by six major multinationals ignored this field, especially the up-and- whose roster included Webb Pierce, Rose and their subsidiaries. But for about a doz­ coming artists whose music had a new beat. Maddox and T. Texas Tyler; and Starday, en years, from the early Fifties to the mid- As the Fifties began, the big labels’ ros­ whose founders discovered George Jones. Sixties, things were different. ters had swelled to include pop mainstays ATLANTIC was set apart from its com­ There were scores of small companies in like Patti Page, Eddie Fisher, Les Paul and petitors in that it was indeed the first truly New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadel­ Mary Ford, Guy Mitchell, Teresa Brewer, professionally run indie in the R&B field. phia, Cincinnati, Houston and just about the Ames Brothers, the Four Aces, Joni The label was founded in 1948 by Ahmet every major American city, and they collec­ James, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Frankie Ertegun and Herb Abramson — joined later tively reigned over the music scene. These Laine and Mario Lanza. Victor and Colum­ by Jerry Wexler, and later still by Nesuhi independent labels nurtured rock and roll bia, the two largest companies, survived a Ertegun — at a time when older, more estab­ and set the trends, paving the way for a new battle of the speeds, with both Victor’s 45 lished indies like Savoy, King and Aladdin musical era. rpm and Columbia’s 33-1/3 rpm accepted. dominated the R&B scene. They boldly To comprehend this phenomenon, we But the death knell had sounded for the 78. printed on the backs of their singles sleeves must go back to the years just following Record sales hit an all-time high, with no the statement “ Atlantic leads the field in World War II and the decline of the big end in sight. Sales for country and western rhythm and blues,” along with caricatures bands. The majors — RCA Victor, Colum­ and for rhythm and blues had increased to of their major artists. Merely a boast in bia, Decca and Capitol — retained virtual the point that Billboard and Cashbox were 1950, this became reality in 1954 and cer­ control of the industry, although certain devoting weekly sections and compiling tainly remained true well into the Sixties. In well-financed new labels, such as Mercury best-seller charts in both categories. The addition to Atlantic’s 11 nominees — Ray in Chicago, MGM (the first film company to majors had maintained control of the pop Charles, La Vern Baker, Ruth Brown, the enter the record sweepstakes) and London and country fields, and were little bothered Coasters, King Curtis, Bobby Darin, the (owned by Sir Edward Lewis, of British that rhythm and blues music was now total­ Drifters, Ben E. King, Clyde McPhatter, Decca), were gaining a foothold in the pop ly in the hands of the indies. Joe Turner and Chuck Willis — the label’s market. These early R&B leaders are responsible other great stars of that period included Ivo­ The big bands may have gone, but many for 23 of the 41 nominees. Atlantic leads the ry Joe Hunter, the Clovers and the Cardi­ of the pop stars who’d been featured vocal­ way with 11, followed by King with 4, Chess nals. Atlantic was also perhaps the first com­ ists with these ensembles back in the Thir­ with 3, Specialty and Imperial with 2 pany to recognize the benefit of ties and Forties — Perry Como, Frank Sina­ apiece, and Modern and Savoy each with 1. independent production through its ground­ tra, Jo Stafford, Dinah Shore and Vaughn Although none of their artists was nominat­ breaking deals with Jerry Leiber and Mike Monroe — remained on the scene. These art- ed, Alladin, Apollo and Jubilee were also Stoller and, later, Phil Spector, Bert Berns, Clockwise: Lester Sill, Duane Eddy and Lee Hazelwood Alan F reed...in the beginning H enry G lover H ank Ballard and Syd Nathan Morty Kraft of Melba Records Dave Miller (Essex Records), Martin Block and Don Howard. Martin Block promised to eat a record if it became a hit. Ahmet Ertegun, Joe Turner and Jerry Wexler Jim Stewart and A1 Bell of Stax, and Buddy Killen of Dial Records. SAVOY was the first and one of the oldest R&B labels to consistently come up with hit product. Savoy was founded in Newark in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, whose strong will and tenacity were rivaled only by fellow pioneer Sydney Nathan of King Records. The label’s golden years were from 1949 to 1951, when they virtually monopolized the R&B charts with hits by Hall of Fame nomi­ nee Johnny Otis (“Double Crossing Blues,” “Mistrustin’ Blues,” “Deceivin’ Blues”), as well as “The Hucklebuck,” by Paul Will­ iams, and “Deacon’s Hop,” by Big Jay McNeely.