James Brown — "I used to shine shoes in front of a radio station. Now I own radio stations."
I used to shine shoes in front of a radio station. Now I own radio stations.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from James Brown
"I got to have my audience. They're my family."
"I'm a living legend. I'm a living icon. I'm a living myth."
"I stay in a hotel, and I never pay for room service. I don't eat in the hotel. I go out and buy my own food. I'm a country boy."
"I believe in one God, one love, one peace. And I believe in funk."
"I'm a genius. I'm a musical genius."
About James Brown (1933-2006)
American singer and 'Godfather of Soul' whose 1960s-70s recordings invented funk and shaped hip-hop's rhythmic foundations. Closely associated with Sly Stone (fellow funk pioneer (Sly and the Family Stone)) and George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic successor). For an intellectual contrast, see Berry Gordy, Motown founder — Motown made Black popular music palatable for white radio with smoothed-out crossover production; Brown's funk insisted on the raw groove without compromise. The two opposite paths Black popular music took out of the 1960s — Motown polish vs JB raw.