James Brown

James Brown (1933-2006), the “Godfather of Soul” and inventor of funk, performed several times at the Montreux Jazz Festival. His first concert, in July 1981 at the Casino de Montreux, remained one of the festival’s most famous: released on DVD as “Live at Montreux 1981”, he himself regarded it as his best performance at Montreux.

James Brown in Montreux: funk at the Casino

1981: the legendary concert

In July 1981, James Brown took the stage of the Casino de Montreux for his first concert at the festival, surrounded by his great brass band. For nearly two hours he rolled out his hits, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, “I Got You (I Feel Good)”, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, up to the closing “Sex Machine”.

Captured by the festival’s cameras, the concert was released on DVD as “Live at Montreux 1981”. Fourteen soul classics there recall why he was nicknamed the “Godfather of Soul” and “the hardest-working man in show business”.

The inventor of funk

Born in South Carolina in 1933, James Brown transformed American popular music. By shifting the rhythmic accent onto the first beat, he laid the foundations of funk, whose influence runs through soul, disco and, later, hip-hop, as one of the most sampled artists in history.

A tireless showman, he also marked his era with commitment, through “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1968). He died on Christmas Day 2006 and is among the very first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986.

Videos

James Brown, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, live in Montreux (1981).

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