James Brown › Similar Artists

Sly & The Family Stone - 53% match to James Brown

This highly influential US band was formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by brothers Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart, 15 March 1943, Denton, Texas, USA) and Freddie Stone (b. Frederick Stewart, 5 June 1946, Vallejo, California, USA; guitar), with Cynthia Robinson (b. 12 January 1946, Sacramento, California, USA; trumpet), Jerry Martini (b. 1 October 1943, Colorado, USA; Read more

Parliament - 48% match to James Brown

This exceptional US vocal quintet was formed in 1955 by George Clinton (22 July 1940, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA), Raymond Davis (b. 29 March 1940, Sumter, South Carolina, USA, d. 5 July 2005, New Brunswick, USA), Calvin Simon (b. 22 May 1942, Beckley, West Virginia, USA), Clarence ‘Fuzzy’ Haskins (b. 8 June 1941, Elkhorn, West Virginia, USA) and Grady Thomas Read more

Lyn Collins - 47% match to James Brown

Ohio Players - 46% match to James Brown

Formed in Dayton, Ohio, USA, this multi-talented unit originated from four members of the Ohio Untouchables, saxophonists Ralph ‘Pee Wee’ Middlebrooks and Clarence ‘Satch’ Satchell, bass player Marshall Jones and guitarist Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner. The Ohio Untouchables forged a reputation as a powerful instrumental group by providing the backing t Read more

Curtis Mayfield - 44% match to James Brown

3 June 1942, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 26 December 1999, Roswell, Georgia, USA. As songwriter and vocalist with the Impressions, Mayfield established an early reputation as one of soul music’s most intuitive talents. In the decade between 1961 and 1971, he penned a succession of exemplary singles for his group, including ‘Gypsy Woman’ (1961), ‘It’s Read more

Funkadelic - 41% match to James Brown

George Clinton (22 July 1940, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA), established this inventive, experimental group out of the 1969 line-up of his doo-wop vocal outfit the Parliaments - Raymond Davis (b. 29 March 1940, Sumter, South Carolina, USA, d. 5 July 2005, New Brunswick, USA), Grady Thomas (b. 5 January 1941, Newark, New Jersey, USA), Calvin Simon (b. 22 May 1942, Beckley Read more

Stevie Wonder - 41% match to James Brown

Steveland Judkins, 13 May 1950, Saginaw, Michigan, USA. Born Judkins, Wonder now prefers to be known as Steveland Morris after his mother’s married name. He was born with rerolental fibroplasia, a disease of the eyes that affects prematurely born babies. This caused permanent blindness but despite this handicap, Wonder began to learn the piano at the age of seven, and h Read more

Bobby Byrd - 40% match to James Brown

The Meters - 40% match to James Brown

This fundamental quartet, Art Neville (Arthur Lanon Neville, 17 December 1937, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; keyboards), Leo Nocentelli (guitar), George Porter Jnr. (b. 26 December 1947, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; bass) and Joseph ‘Zigaboo/Ziggy’ Modeliste (drums), came together during informal sessions held in various New Orleans nightclubs. Initially known as Ar Read more

Rufus Thomas - 36% match to James Brown

26 March 1917, Cayce, Mississippi, USA, d. 15 December 2001, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. A singer, dancer and entertainer, Thomas learned his trade as a member of the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, a vaudeville-inspired touring group. By the late 40s he was performing in several Memphis nightclubs and organizing local talent shows. B.B. King, Bobby Bland and Junior Parker were discover Read more

Booker T. & The MG's - 34% match to James Brown

Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in 1962 as a spin-off from the Mar-Keys, this instrumental outfit comprised Booker T. Jones (12 November 1944, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; organ), Steve Cropper (b. Stephen Lee Cropper, 21 October 1941, Dora, Missouri, USA; guitar), Lewis Steinberg (b. 13 September 1933, USA; bass) and Al Jackson Jnr. (b. 27 November 1934, Memphis, Tennessee, Read more

Bootsy Collins - 34% match to James Brown

William Collins, 26 October 1951, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. This exceptional showman was an integral part of the JBs, the backing group fashioned by James Brown to replace the Famous Flames. Between 1969 and 1971, the distinctive Collins bass playing propelled some of the era’s definitive funk anthems. Collins was later part of the large-scale defection in which several of Read more

Kool & The Gang - 34% match to James Brown

Originally formed as a quartet, the Jazziacs, by Robert ‘Kool’ Bell (8 October 1950, Youngstown, Ohio, USA; bass), Robert ‘Spike’ Mickens (b. Jersey City, New Jersey, USA; trumpet), Ronald ‘The Captain’ Bell - later known by his Muslim name Amir Bayyan (b. 1 November 1951, Youngstown, Ohio, USA; saxophone, keyboards) and Dennis ‘D.T.’ Read more

Ray Charles - 34% match to James Brown

Ray Charles Robinson, 23 September 1930, Albany, Georgia, USA, d. 10 June 2004, Beverly Hills, California, USA. Few epithets sit less comfortably than that of genius; Ray Charles held this title for over 40 years and he was a true musical genius. As a singer, composer, arranger and pianist, his prolific work deserved no other praise.Born in extreme po Read more

The Bar-Kays - 33% match to James Brown

Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, USA by Jimmy King (1949, d. 10 December 1967; guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (b. 1948, d. 10 December 1967; organ), Phalon Jones (b. 1949, d. 10 December 1967; saxophone), Ben Cauley (trumpet), James Alexander (bass) and Carl Cunningham (b. 1949, d. 10 December 1967; drums) were originally known as the River Arrows. Signed to Stax Records, the Bar-Kay Read more