That feels strange to even type.  James Brown is dead?
I think I’ve got the first regret of my life.  In 2003, JB was playing the House of Blues in Anaheim (when I lived on that coast).  I really wanted to go, but I couldn’t find anyone that had the money or time to check out the show with me.  I decided after that show passed that I would find a way, no matter what, to see James Brown live before one of us died.
Closest I got was watching him on the BET Awards.
I’ll just say this about James Brown–only the Beatles rival his influence on American pop music.  That’s it.
And with this being Christmas and all, here’s a link to JB’s underrated version of “Merry Christmas, Baby.”