Back in the 1980s, I saw a Black comedian holding court and telling jokes in front of the 59th Street entrance to Central Park. Perhaps it was the late Charlie Barnett, maybe it was some other funny cat, but I remember his punch line like it was yesterday. “If Elvis Presley is king than what the hell is James Brown?” he asked. And as the mixed race crowd laughed, the sacrilegious answer that popped in my head was, “James Brown was God.”

Indeed, as the James Brown biopic Get On Up documents, that once raggedy boy from the red-dirt back roads of Toccoa, Georgia would go on to have a God-like influence over popular music from his “Please, Please, Please” days in 1956 to his last breath on December 25, 2006.
James Brown not only created great music with two of the tightest bands in show business, he served as a community leader, activist, and one of the first brave enough to “Say it loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Dabbling in all kinds of music, Brown is best known for groovastic gems like “Cold Sweat,” “Hot Pants (She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants)” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” but the brother also dabbled in jazz, country, Christmas songs and hip-hop.

Inspiring a wide range of artists including Prince, Michael Jackson and Kanye West, his spirit can still be heard in our post-millennial modern music. Although Mr. Brown (as everyone called him) was a terribly flawed human being, music-wise he could do no wrong. Selecting a top 10 of Brown’s best singles would be futile. Below is my selection of cool favorite clips featuring Mr. Dynamite/Soul Brother #1/the Godfather of Soul.

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