... When some early unseen James Brown footage comes to light!! I know it exist somewhere, I know it does.

It's no way his first performance captured on video happened in October of 1964. ALmost 9 years into a career that had countless hits up into that point.

His (major) hits included:

-1956 Please, Please, Please (not big chart wise though)

-1958 Try Me (first R&B topper, first pop top 50 hit)

-1960 Think (first top 40 hit)

-1961 Bewildered and 1962 Night Train (top 40 pop hits)

-1963 Prisoner of Love (first top 20 pop hit)

-1963 Oh Baby, Don't You Weep and 1964 Out of Sight (Top 25 pop hits)

-1993 Live at The Apollo (Album on pop charts over two years. Peaked at #2 behind West Side Story SDT.)

It just has to be something between February 1956 - September 1964. I refuse to believe it.

Unless he was on American Bandstand or was cast in one of those quicky rock n roll movies like Twist Around The Clock, who would have filmed him? Maybe it's possible he could have some home movie footage if he owned a camera. Sam Cooke's music was more pop, so he appeared on a few mainstream TV shows like Arthur Murray Party. Nat King Cole had his own show, but again he was less R&B and more pop & jazz. Some jazz acts were cast in Hollywood movies. I don't think that many of the chitlin circuit era R&B/soul/gospel/blues acts were filmed at all. Also many of the music programs (and TV shows in general) from that era were taped over by the networks or thrown away because they didn't think there was any value to them. There's many American Bandstand episodes lost in this way and the same with the late 1960s - early 1970s PBS show SOUL!.

There's also the case that James act was likely too wild for TV of the late 1950s. Elvis Presley got complaints from viewers, so was filmed from the waist up.

JB was possibly the biggest R&B star 1962-on (at least according to the Live at the Apollo album.) He had one of the biggest, best selling albums of 1963, you'd think someone would have put film to this man. He was known for his stage show since as far back as the late 50s', someone should have captured this man. "Prisoner of Love" was his popish-standard style track and it did what it was supposed to do. His first top 20 pop hit (#18) in 1963, still no TV time.

Hell guys like Dee Clark and Brook Benton were on TV before him (no offense, I like them lol.)

I do remember reading somewhere, him and the Flames were on American Bandstand in 1962, but not sure if they performed or anything.

Also, sort of related. I don't think Hank Ballard & the Midnighters and Little Willie John ever made a TV appearances anywhere. Maybe it had something to do with King Artist. JB was also a King artist. When he finally did start to get on TV, he was promoting his Mercury/Smash single "Out of Sight" for TAMI.

MickyDolenz said:

There's also the case that James act was likely too wild for TV of the late 1950s. Elvis Presley got complaints from viewers, so was filmed from the waist up.

But JB's act would have looked more like this, than Elvis. A lot of spins and splits compared to pelvic thrust and but wiggling.

Brook Benton was more like Johnny Mathis than James, a stand up crooner who didn't move much. Brook was smooth like Nat & Sam, not raw like James. Having R&B hits was not really a way to get on TV of that era. This was when Harry Belefonte was a big act with mainstream USA and he's a long way from James' music & performing style. There wasn't much prime time television geared towards teens (.ig rock n roll) and black performers was even less, especially since some southern stations would refuse to air shows with black people in them or they'd edit them out. That's why Nat King Cole & Hazel Scott had a hard time getting sponsors and so their shows didn't last long.

True, I see what you mean. The harder side of R&B like JB, Hank Ballard, Willie John, Lloyd Price while hit makers were off of TV. Smother side of R&B like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Brook Benton were I guess the exceptable names for television in the late 50s', early 60s.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

True, I see what you mean. The harder side of R&B like JB, Hank Ballard, Willie John, Lloyd Price while hit makers were off of TV. Smother side of R&B like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Brook Benton were I guess the exceptable names for television in the late 50s', early 60s.

It might have helped that Sam & Jackie recorded pop standards & showtunes with white background singers and strings and Brook's songs had those kind of vocalists. Some of Ray Charles songs had that too. The Flames singing style wasn't like that. Jackie also sometimes sung in a opera style, which could appeal to older listeners who didn't like rock n roll/R&B. I've read that Jackie's act was toned down on TV from his live performances. I've also heard that it was difficult for James to lip sync, which is what he most likely would have to do on the TV shows of that era, even if he didn't do any dancing.

thought this was a refrence to the george michael masterpiece

Dilan said:

thought this was a refrence to the george michael masterpiece

Well the beat on that song is a slowed down Funky Drummer sample.

Since we're on the subject of James Brown, check out this ultra rare version of the Famous Flames when King decided JB didn't need them. Not sure why this is never bought up in bio's. The writers are clearly Bobby Byrd and Johnny Terry.

Have they buried James yet?

Chancellor said:

Here's a 1969 news clip about a court case