Joseph Brown (born May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was an American singer.
He is also known as Soul Brother Number One, the Godfather of Soul, Universal James, Mr. Dynamite, and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. As a prolific leader of the band, composer, producer and singer, James Brown was a very important link in the evolution of the Gospel, R & B, soul and funk styles. He also left his mark on other genres such as rock, jazz, reggae, disco, dance and electronics as well as in hip-hop.
Four James Brown albums appeared in the 2003 Rolling Stone Magazine's "the 500 greatest albums of all time"