The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America

by James Sullivan

Book Overview

The untold story of the night a divide nation turned to James Brown--and he delivered hope and calm in the form of an immortal concert Since James Brown's death in December 2006, the Godfather of Soul... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592404901
• ISBN13: 9781592404902
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Book About JB

This is a great book about the Hardest Working Man in show business. If you are into JB and haven't read any of his other biographies or autobiography, this is a must read for the story of his humble beginnings and inexorable climb to the top of the soul music mountain. For musicians, the book is great in that it details the development of the JB sound and his various bands over the years. I saw the JB & Famous Flames review in 1968 on Long Island - amazing. And about 30 yrs later in Aberdeen, Scotland - different band, but still amazing - there was never anybody like JB and probably never will be. If you were in or around the Boston area when MLK was shot, you also should read this book.

James Brown: The Living Legend Lives, and Will Never Die!

At last it has been told: the improbable rise from rags to riches of the Godfather of Soul aka Soul Brother #1, Mr. James Brown. Thanks to his proven investigative, journalistic skills, accomplished author, James Sullivan, resurrected the soul of James Brown in his latest book "The Hardest Working Man--How James Brown Saved the Soul of America". In the process, Sullivan assured us that Brown still lives, and more importantly, will never die! While tracing the daunting stubborn hurdles, James Brown had to mount early in his life just to avoid starvation. The author traces and shares how James gradually constructed an inner strength built on the premise: if I can conceive, and believe, I can achieve! And achieve he did! From shining shoes for pennies both in Georgia and South Carolina, to stopping race riots in Boston after Dr. King's infamous assassination, Brown refused to let hope die. Quite the opposite, through enormous determination, self-reliance, profound creativity, and unrelenting focus, James Brown despite the lack of a High School education, braved pangs of hunger, vicious jealously, and excuse-making to will himself to sustainable world wide importance. Before his demise, his fame, fortune and success rose to the level that "Look Magazine" placed the photo of the legendary James Brown on its cover with a bold challenge to the American public to find any other African American more important than Soul Brother #1. For more details of the intricate and cosmopolitan Living Legend, "The Hardest Working Man--How James Brown Saved the Soul of America" is a must read. By Sultana AlMansour

What You Always Wanted To Know About James Brown

One of the advantages of traveling around the world on a continuous basis is that sooner or lter one meets many of thoe persons predestined for global greatness. Such was my first and the many subsequent meetings with James Brown aka " The Godfather of Soul ! " My first meting with him was occasioned by the most dominant record and musical promoter in the San Francisco By Area, Raymond Dobard. Mr. Dobard was one of my first legal business clients after graduating from the University School of Law at Berkeley in the early 60's. In between practicing law, moderating a popular radio and television show and becoming a founding member of a group of African American professionals, college and high school students and lay men and women who were strongly united by our colletive commitment to impact our immediate communities, if not the nation, through the internalization o our collectie mantra: " Unity, Self Help, Education, and Dignity. " ( See " Vital Speeches " July 1, 1964. After Ray Dobard bought James Brown to be interviewed on my radio show, " The Matchline ", I decided to engage James in an in depth discussion about the sustainable future of the Black Race in America. Before long I was reasonable impressed with his insights, committment to " Unity, Self Help, Education, and Diginity ", obsession to faithfully contribute to the constructive uplit of the race, as well as his committment to use his hypnotic musical talents to promote constructive change through his soulful, expresive music. Although, from my weekly media shows, I had come to to know many well known African American nusicians and entertainers,James was a special work in progress with unlimited committment. I soon concluded that part of his determination came from his his patently deprived early upbringing;part from his from the inspiring musical tours he had mde to Africa, part from a motivating sneek preview into Black Africa/African American history, and part remained a mystery of destiny. In time the editors of " Look Magazine " became aware of the world significance of being Mr. James Brown and his insistence to be a progressive hman role model and raised the audacious question of one of their covers, " Had James Brown Become The Most Important Black Man In America ? " And despite some political jealousy and envy within political Black U.S. leadership, his popularity continued to soar from the U.S. WhiteHouse to the four corners of the earth. Unfortunately, few biographies featuring James Brown took the time to capture the inner personality configuration of the Godfather. The primary exception was and is: " The Hardest Working Man " by talented author,James Sullivan. By any measure, Sullivan took the time to project the elusive, unique James Brown, from the inside-out! In the process he uniquely reveals and highlights the untold story behind the attempts James made to save America and the Black American through soul power and well composed and challenging,