James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," whose frenetic singing
style and bold rhythms brought funk into the mainstream and
influenced a new generation of black music, died on Christmas
morning at age 73.
The singer held a sold-out concert in Shanghai earlier this
February. Mr. Robb, with the concert's organizer China West
Entertainment, told Shanghai Morning Post that he was
negotiating with Brown's agent about a Beijing concert in 2007.
The organizer said, "Though it hadn't been decided yet, his
agent expressed that James Brown was willing to stop in Beijing if
he wound up touring Asia next year."
Unfortunately, the Shanghai concert proved to be Brown's first
and last show in the Chinese mainland.
Brown died on Monday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta
after being admitted on Saturday for severe pneumonia.
One of America's greatest showmen and band leaders, Brown
created a revolutionary sound that mixed funky rhythms and staccato
horns behind his own often explosive vocals.
(CRI December 26, 2006)
