King James Brown... James Brown Tribute & More

Expect a phenomenal, electrifying tribute to James Brown, The Godfather of Soul.

For the last five funky-funky decades, King James Brown has delivered one of the most thrilling, longest running authentic soul music shows ever to emanate out of Los Angeles. He is a consummate entertainer, band leader, singer and all-around performer who hits audiences from Sapporo to Las Vegas with a bullseye of sweat soaked soul power…every time. Yes, his real name is James Brown. Yes, the music of the Godfather of Soul remains a big part of his act. However, King James Brown further fortified his show to include the hits of other contemporary greats - from Teddy Pendergrass and Marvin Gaye to Prince and Rick James. In 2019, King James Brown finally recorded his first album – a long-awaited project. The lead single is appropriately titled “The Soul of a Dancer.” On May 18th, 2024, King James Brown will be inducted into The Akademia Music Awards Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, California. King James Brown was recently honored with The Las Vegas Black Music Awards Hall of Fame Award and The Los Angeles Black Music Awards Hall of Fame Award. He has also been awarded with the coveted “Entertainer of The Year” award by The Black Music Awards in 2019. In addition, he is the 2019 Winner of the Seems Africa “Africa Meets The World” Award for “Best Singer/Recording Artist”. King James Brown will release a new single on April 19th, 2024, entitled “Fire From The Funk”, produced by Preston Glass. His music is available on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube, TikTok, Deezer, Tidal, Napster, KKBox, Claro musica, Anghami, 7Digital, Tencent, AWA, Saavn, (link hidden) and on most online music platforms.

King James Brown has performed with, shared stages with, and gleaned priceless knowledge from legends such as B.B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Percy Mayfield, The Temptations, Bobby Blue Bland, Tyrone Davis, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Z.Z. Hill. However, it was priceless training and knowledge he received right at home that initially set him on the path to soul music supremacy. THIS is his story.
King James Brown was born in Los Angeles in 1954 to parents that lived on Grape Street in Watts and a Grandmother who lived on 106th & Avalon in South Central. When his mother remarried, it was to guitarist Joe Raglin who led the group The Fantastics. At 7, James first got an inkling he was special when his teacher at 109th Street Elementary School sang out his name, James Brown, during roll call and the whole class started screamin’ and hollerin’! James was actually a closet fan of Elvis Presley, watching his movies and mimicking him in the mirror. He was singing in the church choir from age 5, and his parents made him perform for family whenever company came over.
The fateful day arrived when James got a crush on a girl named Annette Rosegood. When she asked him to cut a lil’ rug with her at a party, she stopped in the middle of the song and gently informed him, “James…you can’t dance.” Crestfallen, James went home and pulled out all his mother’s 45s, determined to learn. During a break while flipping through TV channels, he stumbled on a clip of James Brown & The Famous Flames performing “Cold Sweat” live! His jaw hit the floor.
“I was blown away by how fast he moved his feet and the way he did the splits,” James recalls. “There were no VCRs back then so - just from remembering what I saw on TV - I would practice in the bedroom mirror playing the 45s ‘There Was a Time,’ ‘I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)’ and ‘Cold Sweat.’ Once I got his King Records double album James Brown Live at The Apollo Vol. 2, I practiced to sides A, B C & D - start to finish! My stepfather came home early one day and caught me.” Shortly after in 1967, James’ stepfather put him onstage with him for the very first time at Dootoo’s Entertainment Center.
“My mother took me to the Shrine Auditorium to see James Brown live for the first time,” James continues. “I didn’t miss one concert from that day on!

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