James Brown
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Object Details
- Artist
- Diane Arbus, 14 Jul 1923 - 26 Jul 1971
- Sitter
- James Brown, 5 Mar 1933 - 25 Dec 2006
- Exhibition Label
- James Brown invented funk and set the standard for dynamic live performance in American music. Inspired by preachers in the black church, Brown started out singing in gospel quartets. As the "Godfather of Soul," he transmuted gospel into secular music centered in the emotional conduit of the soul singer. As "the hardest working man in show business," Brown turned ballads into virtuosic theatrical turns—falling hard on his knees, busting into splits and half spins, popping the mike to the floor and back, each move ratcheting up the song’s emotional intensity. As "Soul Brother No. 1," Brown acted as a cultural leader, writing hit songs calling for racial pride. With funk, Brown created a stripped-down, rhythmically driven aesthetic that has influenced world music from reggae to Afrobeat. Much of popular music since the 1960s comes through James Brown’s moves and grooves. Hip-hop is unimaginable without him.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1966
- Object number
- NPG.2002.375
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © 1966 The Estate of Diane Arbus LLC
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 26.3 x 25.6cm (10 3/8 x 10 1/16")
- Sheet: 35.4 x 27.8cm (13 15/16 x 10 15/16")
- Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")
- Place
- United States\New York\Kings\New York
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior\Performing Arts\Concert hall
- James Brown: Male
- James Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter
- James Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Popular
- James Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Dancer
- James Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Rhythm and Blues
- James Brown: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Bandmaster
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2002.375
- Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4d116767e-f247-4779-a41c-0bcd2a0b5d17
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