Joseph Brown Research Paper

James Joseph Brown was born on (May 3 1933- December 25 2006) in Barnwell California. Him and his family lived in extreme poverty when he was a child. They later moved to Augusta when he turned four or five. When they got there, they decided to live with their aunt. Eventually, James’s mother left the family and moved to New York. He would spend a great amount of time alone, and it was hard for him to stay in school. He managed to stay in school until sixth grade. When he was still young, he would sing in talent shows. His first appearance was at Augusta’s Lenox Theater in 1944, and won by singing the ballad, “So Long’’. Sometimes, he would go to camps and perform different dances to entertain troops. During this period, he learned how to play different instruments such as the piano,guitar,and the harmonica. Later, he became inspired to be an entertainer after hearing Tympany Five,Caldonia,and Louis Jordan. When his teen years began, he decided that he would have a boxing career.

He decided to join the band after one of the members( Troy Collins) was killed. Along with Brown and Byrd, the group had Sylvester Keels, Doyle Oglesby, Fred Pulliam, Nash Knox and Nafloyd Scott. Groups such as, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, The Orioles and Billy Ward and his Dominos, the group was influenced to change their name to first The Toccoa Band and then to the Flames. Later Nafloyd’s brother Baroy joined the group on bass guitar, and Brown, Keels and Byrd switched positions, and they switched their instruments. Later, Johnny Terry joined but Oglesby and Pulliam decided to leave. The group’s first manager was Berry Trimier. He would always book the group to parties near college campuses in Georgia and South Carolina. The group got the reputation as a good live performance. They then renamed themselves as the Famous