Soul Brother Where Art Thou: James Brown Tribute Album, by: Renee Williams
“We were supposed to begin a tour that included New York City and several dates in Canada," Augusta native and longtime James Brown guitarist, Keith Jenkins recalls. "A few days before Christmas 2006, I got a call saying that the departure was postponed for a couple days because Mr. Brown was ill. Around 1a.m. on Christmas morning, the phone rang. I thought it was odd to get a call that late on Christmas Eve. I saw Ms. Hogan's name on the caller ID and I knew. I said, "Merry Christmas, Ms. Hogan." She reciprocated. I said, "Well, this is it, isn't it?" She said, "Yes-he's gone."
When James Brown-The Godfather of Soul-passed away on Christmas Day 2006, he employed close to 50 people and was performing an upwards of 100 shows per year. Jenkins had lived and breathed Brown’s music for 12 years and had toured the world many times over with Brown. The band became an extended family of sorts and had formed a unique group of experiences and developed close sentimental ties. “Playing for James Brown is something that only a few people in the world will ever really know what that is like. So when he died there was the big question we all had, “Now what?”
Several months after Brown’s death,Georgia soul/R&B singer/songwriter and Ropeadope recording artist, Greg Hester, reached out to Jenkins, “I called Keith out of the blue," explains Hester. "I had never met Keith before, but I had seen him in a House of Blues video and Brown’s attorney introduced me to Mr. Brown and suggested I meet Keith as well...I spoke with Keith that day and asked him if he would help me with a James Brown tribute album...Thank God he had a landline."
Hester and Jenkins arranged to perform a James Brown tribute show in Athens to get a feel for one another and hit it off immediately. The two had much admiration for one another both personally and musically and began to merge their shared connections in the music industry to produce, record, and perform a James Brown tribute album Soul Brother Where Art Thou?
Hester and Jenkins hand picked songs for the album preferring songs that Brown’s fans would appreciate. For the next seven years various musicians flew in to Nashville to lay down tracks at Eric McConnell's studio. Former members of James Brown’s band Fred Wesley, Hollie Farris, Waldo Weathers, Fred Thomas, Ron Laster, Erik Hargrove, Mousey Thompson, Sike Nealy, Amy Christian, Kelly Jarrell reunited once again in various configurations to play the music they had grown to know and love. The finished product is a culmination of longstanding mutual admiration that emerged between fellow musicians with a deep warm respect, regard, appreciation that is anchored by a strong musical bond and friendship and family foundations.
Along with showcasing the talents of Shana Morrison~ daughter of blues and jazz vocalist Van Morrison, Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks, Ivan Neville, of Dumpstaphunk, and Blues Travelers’ John Popper, Soul Brother Where Art Thou? also displays a generous mix of Georgia artists to include Col. Bruce Hampton, Kevn Kinney, Chris Unck, Jimmy Hall, and Caroline Aiken.
The album begins with “Try Me,” the song that saved Mr. Brown's career and Hester’s voice is full and resonate with a strong and classic soul crooner twist. The track features southern rock icon Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie who brings his down home soul to the mix. Hall also appears on the ending track “I'll Go Crazy” featuring harmonica virtuoso John Popper’s unceasingly ferocious licks, playing the harmonica like a lead guitar.
“There Was A Time” features Atlanta cult hero Col. Bruce Hampton, adding his deep musical roots while blending his freewheeling signature of jazz, jam band, and funk. “Soul Power” features Atlanta's folk singer/guitarist Caroline Aiken who has performed with Bonnie Raitt and the Indigo Girls.
In addition to “It’s A Man’s World” featuring Ivan Neville, “Licking Stick” and “I Don’t Mind” are most arguably the gems of the album. “Licking Stick” features Driving n Crying’s Kevn Kinney who brings his Americana & roots rock to indulge with Hester in a little raucous fun, with the two ad-libing in raspy tones, imitating Brown’s screaming, moaning, flamboyant, egotistical and aggressive fun.
Former emcee and cape man, Danny Ray is also featured on this track.
“With Brown’s death, there is indeed a void in the music world that will likely never be filled. He left behind a complicated legacy as a person and a comprehensive body of work that people will be studying, analyzing, and copying for years. It was great wonderful fun to get together, share stories, and play this music that we all love to honor this man that gave us all this opportunity, Jenkins recalled.
“That was the great thing about James Brown is that he could have picked the top musicians from New York or Los Angeles to be in his band, but he didn’t do that. He would pluck someone from obscurity, like myself and take them and show them the world. In our own little small way we just wanted to give something back to him and show our appreciation, not only for how he affected those who knew him personally, but for the gift of his music that he gave to the world and all of the good feelings that he has inspired."
