James Brown had dozens of hits over his decades-long career. Here is a smattering of his seminal, career-defining songs:
1956: "Please, Please, Please" — This begging ballad about a man trying to keep his woman took on a raw, sensual tone as Brown growled and yelped through the burning track.
1959: "Try Me" — Another slow R&B groove from a pleading Brown.
1961: "Bewildered" — Brown's she-done-me-wrong classic. He shrieks and shouts passionately, "bewildered" by the actions of his now-former woman.
1962: "Night Train" — One of the first songs to feature the tight, jumping horn section that would become a cornerstone of most of his major hits. Brown's rough-edged voice shouts out cities nationwide on the "Night Train" route.
1965: "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (Part I)" — Another classic dance track about — what else — dancing.
1965: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" — Perhaps Brown's most famous tune, and one of the all-time greatest songs in rock's canon. A buoyant, joyful jam that is an instant party starter. If you've never heard this, you've never heard music.
1966: "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" — Though the title may suggest a chauvinistic ode, this passionate, downbeat track really pays homage to a man's eternal need for a woman by his side.
1967: "Cold Sweat (Part I)" — A smoking, sultry mid-tempo jam that features Brown singing about a woman that makes him weak-kneed. It was sampled by dozens, perhaps hundreds of '80s rap songs.
1968: "Say it Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud (Part 1)" — Released at the height of the civil rights movement, this anthem boldly asserted pride in being black at a time when African-Americans were still fighting for basic rights.
1970: "Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine" (Part 1)" — Despite its somewhat risque title, this frenetic groove is more of a call to move your feet. Perhaps Brown's second most-famous song, its signature is its slamming rhythm section.
1971: "Make It Funky (Part 1) — This could be the theme song of Brown's entire career. It begins with Brown saying what would become his motto: "(Whatever) I play, it's got to be funky!"
1974: "Papa Don't Take No Mess, (Part I) — Brown's amazing, funky tribute to a hard-nosed, stern dad.
1974: "The Payback (Part I)" — The ultimate revenge song, this song sounded as if it would fit right in with many of the blaxploitation soundtracks of the day with its blaring horns and rumbling bass lines.
1976: "Get Up Offa That Thing" — A killer bass instead of horns are the real glue of this James Brown classic dance groove.
1985: "Living in America" — This rousing, patriotic song from the fourth installment of the "Rocky" movie franchise re-established Brown as a hitmaker in his fifth decade.
1988: "Static, Pts. 1 & 2" — (with Full Force) — As Brown's music was being sampled right and left by rappers, Brown showed hip-hop heads how it should be done with this sizzling collaboration with the group Full Force. By Nekesa Mumbi Moody