This Week’s Notable Birthdays in Jazz and Popular Music History

05/01/1954 - Ray Parker Jr, Detroit Mich, R&B, funk, jazz, pop guitarist/vocalist (Ghostbusters)

05/03/1933 - James Brown, Godfather of Soul

So you think you know James Brown? Take the James Brown Trivia Quiz!  (Grab a pen and paper and write your answers down before scrolling to the bottom of the page so you that you don’t see the correct answers before you’ve finished).  Good luck!

1)      What was James Brown’s full name?

2)      We all know James Brown as the Godfather of Soul.  Name at least two other nicknames that he was known as during his career.

3)      Where was James Brown born?  Here’s three choices:

a) Fayetteville, N.C.,

b) Augusta, GA.,  

C) Barnwell, S.C.

4)  In 1965, James Brown released two records, both of which marked the first of his many hits to reach #1 on the R&B charts.  Name these two hits.

5) James was extremely involved in social activism for civil rights. The day following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Brown’s status was so dominant that he gave a live television performance of a concert that was rebroadcast multiple times on that day. The mayor of the city had arranged for the rebroadcasts so that people would stay inside to watch the concert for free, rather than contribute further to the heat of the riots that were rampant at that time.  In what northeast U.S. city did Brown give this performance?

Bonus Question – “It Takes Two” is a song performed by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock that has had mass popularity ever since the day it was released.  It was also created by “sampling”  a popular hit that was produced by James Brown in 1972, and features one of his female vocalists who sings the main chorus, “It takes two to make a thing go right …“

Name the original song and the vocalist who sang it.

05/04/1916 - Maurice "Moe" Purtill, jazz drummer –Glenn Miller Orchestra

05/04/1928 - Maynard Ferguson, Verdun Quebec, jazz trumpeter

05/04/1938 - Tyrone Davis, US R&B singer (Turn Back the Hands of Time)

05/04/1942 - Nickolas Ashford, Fairfield County, S.C., singer (Ashford and Simpson - Solid as a Rock)

05/05/1934 - Johnnie Taylor, Crawfordsville, Arkansas – R&B, blues, soul, gospel singer (Who’s Making Love)

05/06/1921 - Freddy Randall, English jazz trumpeter

05/07/1939 - Jimmy Ruffin, Collinsville, Mississippi - vocalist (What Becomes of the Broken Hearted)

Trivia Answers:

1)      James Joseph Brown, Jr.

2)       Soul Brother #1, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, and the King of Soul.  He was also referred to as Mr. Dynamite, and Mr. Please, Please, Please, Himself.

3)      The correct answer is “C” - Barnwell, South Carolina

4)      Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag / I Got You (I Feel Good)

5)      Boston, Mass. 

Answer to the bonus question: The name of the song is “Think (About It)” and features the late female vocalist, Lyn Collins.