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By Linda Sandler
Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- James Brown, the singer known as the ``Godfather of Soul,'' died in an Atlanta hospital at age 73, Associated Press said, citing his agent, Frank Copsidas.
Brown, whose hits included ``Living in America'' and ``Get Up Offa That Thing'' was in the Emory Crawford Long Hospital with pneumonia and died at 1:45 a.m. local time, AP said.
Brown influenced the direction of black music from the 1960s with a fusion of gospel and rhythm & blues, according to his Web site. He had 114 entries on Billboard's R&B singles charts and 17 number ones on the Hot 100 singles charts, it said.
Brown was born in South Carolina during the Great Depression, picking cotton and shining shoes as a child, the Web site said. Sent to reform school at 16, he met Bobby Byrd, a gospel group leader who gave Brown his start. They switched to blues after hearing Hank Ballard and Fats Domino, according to the Web site.
``Live at the Apollo,'' which Brown put up his own money to record from a 1962 performance, became No. 2 on Billboard's album chart. His first Top 10 pop single was the 1965 ``Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.''
Brown received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 1992.
To contact the reporter on this story: Linda Sandler in London at [email protected] .
Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- James Brown, the singer known as the ``Godfather of Soul,'' died in an Atlanta hospital at age 73, Associated Press said, citing his agent, Frank Copsidas.
Brown, whose hits included ``Living in America'' and ``Get Up Offa That Thing'' was in the Emory Crawford Long Hospital with pneumonia and died at 1:45 a.m. local time, AP said.
Brown influenced the direction of black music from the 1960s with a fusion of gospel and rhythm & blues, according to his Web site. He had 114 entries on Billboard's R&B singles charts and 17 number ones on the Hot 100 singles charts, it said.
Brown was born in South Carolina during the Great Depression, picking cotton and shining shoes as a child, the Web site said. Sent to reform school at 16, he met Bobby Byrd, a gospel group leader who gave Brown his start. They switched to blues after hearing Hank Ballard and Fats Domino, according to the Web site.
``Live at the Apollo,'' which Brown put up his own money to record from a 1962 performance, became No. 2 on Billboard's album chart. His first Top 10 pop single was the 1965 ``Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.''
Brown received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 1992.
To contact the reporter on this story: Linda Sandler in London at [email protected] .