You’ve probably seen When We Were Kings, the classic 1996 documentary about Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s legendary 1974 “Rumble In The Jungle” fight in Africa. But now a new documentary brings to life “Zaire ’74,” the boxing event’s music festival counterpart that brought together American acts like James Brown, Bill Withers, and The Spinners with African artists like Tabu Ley and Miriam Makeba.
Think of it kind of like a sequel to When We Were Kings, with a better soundtrack (No offense to the Tranzlator Crew). The director, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, was even an editor on the original 1996 film way back, so this one’s been a long time coming. Soul Power opens today in New York and Los Angeles.
Long before R. Kelly was fighting for the equal rights of pedophiles, “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown was making a difference in the U.S. On April 5, 1968, the night after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, J.B. performed in front of a television audience at the Boston Garden and helped convince people not to burn the whole damn country down (one could argue the States would've been better off without Boston, but hey, he still gets props).
Shout Factory's new three-DVD set I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s drops today, and it features a documentary about how that night transformed him as a public figure, footage from the historic concert, and other never-before-released performances. JB’s knack for riot-control, and the ability to calm hasty crowds shouldn’t go unnoticed, but soul isn't about being a saint all the time. With that in mind, we wanted to remember “Soul Brother No. 1″ for the imperfections that made him human (and f’ing hysterical). After the jump, see some of his less glorious moments.
Above: The original JB’s lineup in 1970. Bootsy is third from the left in the top row.
Before he was a stunna shades pioneer/bass player for P-Funk, Bootsy Collins was an original member of James Brown’s band The J.B.’s. Legend has it that he was actually kicked out of the group in 1971 during a mid-show acid trip, when he walked off stage because he believed his guitar had turned into a snake.
Regardless of how it went down, the flamboyant bassist is paying tribute to the Godfather James Brown by reuniting with the J.B.’s for a dedication tour, starting September 25th. Although the legendary Bobby Byrd also passed away recently, Collins rallied Byrd’s son, JB’s daughter, and original J.B.s members John “Jabo” Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, and brother Catfish Collins. Last year, the crew proved they can still bring the funk when they scored Superbad. After the jump, watch a classic clip of the band tearing down a Paris stage in 1971 while performing “Ain’t it Funky Now.”
