James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". In a career that lasted over 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. The Residents were big fans of his work and paid tribute to him many times.
In Residents Projects
In 1974 The Residents recorded a cover version of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" in German, for their Swastikas On Parade suite. It contains the earliest known sample of James Brown.
In 1983 The Residents began recording George & James, the second side of which features a cover of the entirety of Jame's Brown's "Live At The Apollo" album. It was released in 1984 alongside their cover of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
During The Eyeball & 13th Anniversary Show, The Residents performed It's a Man's Man's Man's World between 1985-1987.
For their 2001 film "Icky Flix" they recorded another version of It's a Man's Man's Man's World this time with Molly Harvey on lead vocals. They also performed it during their Icky Flix Tour of the same year.
During "Mr. Wonderful" from the Demons Dance Alone Tour, the singing Resident tells a story of how he and a few other Residents met James Brown twice. Once in 1965, and again in 1999 at The House Of Blues.
In 2011 The Residents released "JB@45", an alternate version of their cover of Live At The Apollo sped up to 45 rpm.
It's a Man's Man's Man's World was performed between 2017-2019 on their In Between Dreams tour.
The album Intruders features a track about a man, shortly after James Brown's death, who sees a scarecrow wearing James Brown's bathrobe
Discography with The Residents
- George & James (1984, Written-By)
- The White Single (1984, Written-By)
- Ralph Before '84 (1984, Written-By)
- Memorial Hits (1985, Written-By)
- Heaven? (1986, Written-By)
- The Eyeball Show (Live In Japan) (1986, Written-By)
- Jailhouse Rock (1986, Written-By)
- 13th Anniversary Show - Live In Holland - Featuring Snakefinger (1987, Written-By)
- Commercial Album Expanded (1988, Written-By)
- Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses (1997, Written-By)
- Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence (1998, Written-By)
- Live At The Fillmore (1998, Written-By)
- Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town (2003, Written-By)
- In Between Dreams Live (2019, Written-By)