- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Lyons Press; First edition (Sep 2 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1599213621
- ISBN-13: 978-1599213620
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 544 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,527,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“James Brown could be described in many ways but never as dull In Say it Loud, author Don Rhodes tells the good, the bad, and the personal home town stories of the famed musician.”—Augusta Chronicle
“A lively, engaging and frank personal memoir.”—New Musical Express (UK)
“Recommended for any fan of the Godfather of Soul. . . . As a music journalist, Don Rhodes covered Brown for decades.”—Georgia Music
Product Description
Described as "the hardest-working man in show business" James Brown's life story is that of a conscientious performer and consummate professional with a fascinating and controversial personal life. Anecdotes from a forty-year friendship and details of his life "at home" are featured in this comprehensive biography of The Godfather of Soul.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly written, but not without insight,
By
This review is from: Say It Loud!: My Memories of James Brown, Soul Brother No. 1 (Hardcover)
This book is poorly written, and the copy editing is even worse. Despite its deficiencies, there are several moments of insight for the hardcore JB fan - of whom there are many. At times this reads like a trawl through the back issues of the Augusta Chronicle newspaper with very little connective tissue to make this into an actual book. But if you're interested in JB's home life and his (underdocumented) Augusta activities over the last 25 years of his life, there are some interesting stories. This book is particularly notable for its interviews with JBs wives and girlfriends, as its musical analysis is lackluster. If you're a completist, check this out. If not, the Nelson George compiled "James Brown Reader" is by far a better pick for this coming holiday season.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Amazing James Brown Story Ever Told,
By Aldean Riley "Goodgod" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Say It Loud!: My Memories of James Brown, Soul Brother No. 1 (Hardcover)
I've been a James Brown fan for forty years, I started as one just out of my diapers, when my parents took me to see him in the Atlanta staduim in the 60's. I've read many book on the Godfather of soul and this one is truely the deepest and best one I read. I waited all my life to meet James Brown in person, and after reading this I think I have finally done it. I visisted Augusta, Georgia in September 2005 and so I was familiar with a lot of the area referenced in the book. James Brown was a man's man in every respect, he was a prophet, a leader and a man ahead of his time in music and as well as life. You will find out before he was a singer, he was truely the hardest working man period trying to pull himself up out of poverty. As an African American who dad died when I was young, James Brown became my father figure. Thousands of African Americans had that same experience too. So he was more than a singer in that respect too. When Mr. Brown wore superbad outfits, we wore super bad outfits, when he walked with his head up, we walked with our head up, when he stood up, we stood up and when he would fall, it felt like a close relative falling. Mr Brown touched all races, looking on you tube, there is a Japanese tribute band that tries to copy the master and give it out like he did. They try to match him note for note, grunt for grunt, attitude to attitude and song for song. That is why Mr. Brown could play Europe, Asia, South America, North America, Africa and the Middle East. Reading all the stops he made year after year was mind blowing and the book only listed a small sample of them. I never really grieved over him yet but as I was on the last few pages I cried. I cried for truely the complex gifted man he was who had fought so hard to make a better life for all the under dogs in life. He could have easily retired and took it easy but this man was on a mission, he was the living breathing robin hood of our lifetime. This book has some suprising voices in it, like his first wife Velma who gives us the real man. The fans have been waiting for some real good stuff on him and we now have it at last. Don Rhodes got really close to our Godfather and knew him well. This is a masterpiece and the James Brown book that will become the one future James Brown books will be compared too. Really this book should be used for a movie about the soul legend...Spike Lee read this one. Soul Brother number one will never be forgotten. Say it Loud, indeed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Latter-Day JB,
By Phil S. - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Say It Loud!: My Memories of James Brown, Soul Brother No. 1 (Hardcover)
A very well-written and thoughtful tome, concentrating on the "Rocky IV"-era professional resurgence and personal downturn.To my knowledge, this is the only James Brown reader to really get into the final decade of his life - when, in his late 60s, showed almost no will to slow down, despite the private traumas and disappointing record sales. I would have appreciated more discussion of those excellent Monk-produced CDs and many more photographs from the "prime" years. This would have been consistent to the text, as well. The addendum, a word-for-word transcript of a telephone interview with a mysterious lady (apparently first a fan who was a groupie for a day, then a constant companion), amounts to nothing, and actually deingrates the book.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Every Turkey & Toy Giveaway Documented,
By James L. Desper Jr. - Published on Amazon.com
If you want to read about James Brown giving out turkeys and toys to the less fortunate during the holiday season, then this is the book for you! This is little more than a compilation of press clippings from AP, UPI and the Augusta Chronicle. The author had a distant interviewer/interviewee relationship with Mr. Brown for many years but nothing like the sort of real "friendship" implied. If you must read everything you can find on Mr. Brown, then get it. Otherwise....
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