“Playing 350 shows a year at his peak, with
more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who
transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until
now no biographer has delivered a complete profile. The One draws on interviews
with more than 100 people who knew Brown personally or played with him
professionally. Using these sources, award-winning writer RJ Smith draws a
portrait of a man whose twisted and amazing life helps us to understand the
music he made. The One delves deeply into the story of a man who was raised in
abject-almost medieval-poverty in the segregated South but grew up to earn (and
lose) several fortunes. Covering everything from Brown's unconventional
childhood (his aunt ran a bordello), to his role in the Black Power movement,
which used "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)" as its anthem, to his
high-profile friendships, to his complicated family life, Smith's meticulous
research and sparkling prose blend biography with a cultural history of a pivotal
era. At the heart of The One is Brown's musical genius. He had crucial
influence as an artist during at least three decades; he inspires pity, awe,
and revulsion. As Smith traces the legend's reinvention of funk, soul, R&B,
and pop, he gives this history a melody all its own.”
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