Monday, December 25, 2006

Heaven Must Be One Super Funky Place Right Now: RIP James Brown

This afternoon my family and I just found out that legendary artist
and performer James Brown had passed.

As much as "The Godfather of Soul" will be missed, he will continue to
be enjoyed for the rest of time.

Having been to one of his concerts years ago with my now deceased
mother and wife very early in our marriage at the now defunct "Atlanta
Fulton County Stadium" where the Atlanta Falcons and Braves used to
play before the construction of the Georgia Dome and Turner Field
became a reality, I can undoubtedly say that it was a concert of a
lifetime.

It was like looking at time being unrolled and standing still all at
once. I have never seen some world famous celebrities and funksters
like Prince, Michael Jackson, Hammer, and others perform live, but
seeing James Brown do his thing on stage was clearly viewing the roots
of the tree of soul music.

Even while seeing a short list of songs that he made famous on Yahoo
today, I never fully realized how many songs were actually released
before I was born.

One of his last recordings with the Black Eyed Peas actually has a
line that is like a premonition at this time. Within the song "They
Don't Want Music", James is heard saying "I am going to a funky place"
and now we know what he meant.

There is indeed a party in heaven as heaven welcomes one of God's own.

Rest in peace Mr. James Brown, you truly blessed us as God blessed you.

Peace!