R.I.P. James Brown

One way of measuring the greatness of an entertainer is by how many nicknames he generates. James Brown has been called "The Godfather of Soul" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," but my favorite is "Soul Brother Number One."

He had such a profound impact on soul music that he spawned his own genre of R&B, called funk. He had more than a dozen top 10 R&B records before funk was co-opted and perverted into "disco."

Brown continued working hard and made a comeback in the 80's before being derailed by drugs and spousal abuse issues, once landing him a 6 year sentence in prison, of which he served two and a half years.

Rest in Peace.