This is a discography for the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown.
Contents |
Listed below are the charting singles James Brown released on the Federal record label between 1956 and 1960. Many of the songs also feature The Famous Flames on backing vocals.
| Year | Song title | U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. R&B Singles | U.K. Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | "Please, Please, Please" | 105 | 5 | - |
| 1958 | "Try Me" | 48 | 1 | - |
| 1959 | "I Want You So Bad" | - | 20 | - |
| 1960 | "I'll Go Crazy" | - | 15 | - |
| "Think" | 33 | 7 | - | |
| "You've Got the Power" (b-side of "Think") | 86 | 14 | - | |
| "This Old Heart" | 79 | 20 | - |
Listed below are the charting singles James Brown released on the King record label between 1960 and 1971.Several of these songs feature The Famous Flames on background vocals through 1965.
| Year | Song title | U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. R&B Singles | U.K. Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "The Bells" | 68 | - | - |
| 1961 | "Bewildered" | 40 | 7 | - |
| "I Don't Mind" | 47 | 4 | - | |
| "Baby You're Right" | 49 | 2 | - | |
| "I Love You Yes I Do" | - | 17 | - | |
| "Lost Someone" | 48 | 2 | - | |
| 1962 | "Night Train" | 35 | 5 | - |
| "Shout and Shimmy" | 61 | 16 | - | |
| "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." | 82 | 21 | - | |
| "Three Hearts in a Tangle" | - | 18 | - | |
| "I've Got Money" | 93 | - | - | |
| 1963 | "Like a Baby" | - | 24 | - |
| "Every Beat of My Heart" | 99 | - | - | |
| "Prisoner of Love" | 18 | 6 | - | |
| "These Foolish Things" | 55 | 25 | - | |
| "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" | 77 | - | - | |
| "Oh Baby Don't You Weep - Pt. 1" | 23 | - | - | |
| 1964 | "Please, Please, Please" (overdubbed) | 95 | - | - |
| "Have Mercy Baby" | 92 | - | - | |
| 1965 | "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - Pt. 1" | 8 | 1 | 25 |
| "I Got You (I Feel Good)" | 3 | 1 | 29 | |
| "Lost Someone" (live) | 94 | - | - | |
| "I'll Go Crazy" (live) | 73 | 28 | - | |
| 1966 | "Ain't That a Groove - Pts. 1 & 2" | 42 | 6 | - |
| "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | 8 | 1 | 13 | |
| "Money Won't Change You - Pt. 1" | 53 | - | - | |
| "Don't Be a Drop-Out" | 50 | 4 | - | |
| "Sweet Little Baby Boy - Pt. 1" | 8 | - | - | |
| "Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue)" | 29 | 7 | - | |
| 1967 | "Kansas City" | 55 | 21 | - |
| "Think" (duet with Vicki Anderson) | 100 | - | - | |
| "Let Yourself Go" | 46 | 5 | - | |
| "Cold Sweat - Pt. 1" | 7 | 1 | - | |
| "Get It Together - Pt. 1" | 40 | 11 | - | |
| "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)" | 28 | 4 | - | |
| "There Was a Time" | 36 | 3 | - | |
| 1968 | "You've Got to Change Your Mind" (duet with Bobby Byrd) | - | 47 | - |
| "I Got The Feelin'" | 6 | 1 | - | |
| "Licking Stick - Licking Stick, Pt. 1" | 14 | 2 | - | |
| "America is My Home" | 52 | 13 | - | |
| "I Guess I'll Have to Cry, Cry, Cry" | 55 | 15 | - | |
| "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pt. 1" | 10 | 1 | - | |
| "Goodbye My Love" | 31 | 9 | - | |
| "Tit For That (Ain't No Taking Back)" | 86 | - | - | |
| "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" | 15 | 1 | - | |
| 1969 | "Soul Pride" | - | 33 | - |
| "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself)" |
20 | 3 | - | |
| "The Popcorn" | 30 | 11 | - | |
| "Mother Popcorn (You Got To Have A Mother For Me), Pt. 1" | 11 | 1 | - | |
| "Lowdown Popcorn" | 41 | 16 | - | |
| "World, Pt. 1" | 37 | 8 | - | |
| "Let A Man Come In and Do the Popcorn, Pt. 1" | 21 | 2 | - | |
| "Ain't It Funky Now" | 24 | 3 | - | |
| "Let A Man Come In and Do the Popcorn, Pt. 2" | 40 | 6 | - | |
| 1970 | "It's a New Day" | 32 | 3 | - |
| "Funky Drummer - Pt. 1" | 51 | 20 | - | |
| "Brother Rapp - Pt. 1 & 2" | 32 | 2 | - | |
| "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine, Pt. 1" | 15 | 2 | 32 | |
| "Super Bad - Pt. 1" | 13 | 1 | - | |
| "Santa Claus Is Definitely Here to Stay" | 7 | - | - | |
| "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved, Pt. 1" | 34 | 4 | - | |
| 1971 | "Spinning Wheel" | 90 | - | 78 |
| "I Cried" | 50 | 15 | - | |
| "Soul Power Pt. 1" | 29 | 3 | 78 |
Listed below are the charting James Brown singles issued on the Smash label between 1964 and 1967.
| Year | Song title | U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. R&B Singles | U.K. Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Caldonia" | 95 | - | - |
| "The Things That I Used to Do" | 99 | - | - | |
| "Out of Sight"/"Maybe The Last Time" | 24 | - | - | |
| 1965 | "Try Me" (instrumental) | 63 | 34 | - |
Listed below are the charting James Brown singles issued on the Polydor label between 1971 and 1981.
| Year | Song title | U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. R&B Singles | U.K. Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Escape-ism Pt. 1" | 35 | 6 | - |
| "Hot Pants - Pt. 1" | 15 | 1 | - | |
| "Make It Funky, Pt. 1" | 22 | 1 | - | |
| "Make It Funky, Pt. 3" | 68 | - | - | |
| "I'm A Greedy Man, Pt. 1" | 35 | 7 | - | |
| "Hey America" | - | - | 47 | |
| 1972 | "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing - Pt. 1" | 27 | 1 | - |
| "King Heroin" | 40 | 6 | - | |
| "There It Is - Pt. 1" | 43 | 4 | - | |
| "Honky Tonk - Pt. 1" | 44 | 7 | - | |
| "Get On The Good Foot - Pt. 1" | 18 | 1 | - | |
| "I Got a Bag of My Own" | 44 | 3 | - | |
| "I Got Ants In My Pants (And I Want to Dance) - Pt. 1" | 27 | 4 | - | |
| "What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little More Lovin' (duet with Lynn Collins)" |
56 | 17 | - | |
| 1973 | "Down And Out In New York City" | 50 | 13 | - |
| "Think '73" | 77 | 15 | - | |
| "Think (alternate version)" | 80 | 37 | - | |
| "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy" | 50 | 6 | - | |
| "Stoned to the Bone - Pt. 1" | 58 | 4 | - | |
| 1974 | "The Payback, Pt. 1" | 26 | 1 | - |
| "My Thang - Pt. 1" | 29 | 1 | - | |
| "Papa Don't Take No Mess - Pt. 1" | 31 | 1 | - | |
| "Funky President (People It's Bad)" | 44 | 4 | - | |
| "Coldblooded" | 99 | - | - | |
| 1975 | "Hustle!!! (Dead on It)" | - | 11 | - |
| "Reality" | 80 | 19 | - | |
| "Sex Machine '76" | 61 | 16 | - | |
| "Superbad, Superslick, Pt. 1" | - | 28 | - | |
| "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" | - | 31 | - | |
| 1976 | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | - | 70 | - |
| "Get Up Offa That Thing" | 45 | 4 | 22 | |
| "I Refuse to Lose" | - | 47 | - | |
| "Body Heat" | 88 | 13 | 36 | |
| 1977 | "Kiss in '77" | - | 35 | - |
| "Give Me Some Skin" | - | 20 | - | |
| "If You Don't Give a Doggone About It (with the JB's)" | - | 45 | - | |
| 1978 | "Eyesight" | - | 38 | - |
| "The Spank" | - | 26 | - | |
| 1979 | "For Goodness Sakes (Take a Look at Those Cakes) - Pt. 1" | - | 52 | - |
| "It's Too Funky In Here" | - | 15 | - | |
| "Star Generation" | - | 63 | - | |
| "Regrets" | - | 63 | - | |
| 1980 | "Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses)" | - | 46 | 39 |
| 1981 | "Stay With Me" | - | 80 | - |
The list of charting singles below are the ones James Brown released on various labels including the Scotti Bros. Records label among others.
| Year | Song title | U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. R&B Singles | U.K. Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "The Night Time Is the Right Time" (To Be With The One That You Love) | - | 73 | - |
| "Bring It On...Bring It On" | - | - | 45 | |
| 1984 | "Unity" (w/Afrika Bambaataa) | - | 87 | 49 |
| 1985 | "Froggy Mix" | - | - | 50 |
| "Living in America" | 4 | 10 | 5 | |
| 1986 | "Gravity" | 93 | 26 | 65 |
| 1987 | "How Do You Stop" | - | 10 | 90 |
| 1988 | "She's The One" | - | - | 45 |
| "The Payback Mix, Pt. 1" | - | - | 12 | |
| "I'm Real" | - | 2 | 32 | |
| "Static - Pts. 1 & 2" | - | 5 | 83 | |
| 1989 | "Gimme Your Love" (w/Aretha Franklin) | - | 48 | 79 |
| 1991 | "(So Tired of Standing Still We Got to) Move On" | - | 48 | - |
| 1992 | "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (vs. Dakeyne) | - | - | 72 |
| 1993 | "Can't Get Any Harder" | - | 76 | 59 |
| 1998 | "Funk On A Roll" | - | - | 40 |
| 2002 | "Killing Is Out, School is In" | - | - | - |
| Title | Release Year |
|---|---|
| Please Please Please | 1958 |
| Try Me | |
| Think! | 1960 |
| The Amazing James Brown | 1961 |
| James Brown Presents His Band/Night Train | |
| Shout and Shimmy | 1962 |
| James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the USA | |
| Prisoner of Love | 1963 |
| Excitement - Mr. Dynamite | |
| Showtime (contains studio tracks with overdubbed audience) | 1964 |
| The Unbeatable James Brown | |
| Grits and Soul | |
| Out of Sight | |
| Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag | 1965 |
| I Got You (I Feel Good) | 1966 |
| James Brown Plays James Brown Today and Yesterday | |
| Mighty Instrumentals | |
| James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) | |
| It's a Man's Man's Man's World | |
| James Brown Sings Christmas Songs | |
| Handful of Soul | |
| Sings Raw Soul | 1967 |
| James Brown Plays the Real Thing | |
| Cold Sweat | 1968 |
| I Can't Stand Myself | |
| I Got the Feelin' | |
| James Brown Sings Out of Sight | |
| Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things | |
| A Soulful Christmas | |
| Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud | 1969 |
| Gettin’ Down to It | |
| The Popcorn | |
| It’s a Mother | |
| Ain’t It Funky | 1970 |
| Soul on Top | |
| It’s a New Day - Let a Man Come In | |
| Hey America | |
| Super Bad (contains studio tracks with overdubbed audience) | 1971 |
| Sho’ Is Funky Down Here |
| Title | Release Year |
|---|---|
| Hot Pants | 1971 |
| There It Is | 1972 |
| Get on the Good Foot | |
| Black Caesar | 1973 |
| Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off | |
| The Payback | 1974 |
| Hell | |
| Reality | 1975 |
| Sex Machine Today | |
| Everybody's Doin’ the Hustle and Dead on the Double Bump | 1976 |
| Hot | |
| Get Up Offa That Thing | |
| Bodyheat | |
| Mutha's Nature | 1977 |
| Jam 1980's | 1978 |
| Take a Look at Those Cakes | 1979 |
| The Original Disco Man | |
| People | 1980 |
| Nonstop! | 1981 |
| Title | Release Date |
Label |
|---|---|---|
| Soul Syndrome | 1980 | T.K. Records |
| Bring It On | 1983 | Augusta Sound |
| Gravity | 1986 | Scotti Bros. |
| I'm Real | 1988 | Scotti Bros. |
| Love Overdue | 1991 | Scotti Bros. |
| Universal James | 1993 | Scotti Bros. |
| I’m Back | 1998 | Inferno |
| The Merry Christmas Album | 1999 | Waxworks |
| The Next Step | 2002 | Fome Records |
| Title | Release Year |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live at the Apollo | 1963 | Re-sequenced and re-released with bonus tracks in 2004 |
| Pure Dynamite: Live at the Royal | 1964 | Includes 2 studio tracks with overdubbed audience |
| The James Brown Show | 1967 | Partly live |
| Live at the Garden | ||
| Live at the Apollo, Volume II | 1968 | Double LP; re-sequenced and re-released with unreleased and extended performances in 2001 |
| Sex Machine | 1970 | Double LP; 1st record contains studio tracks overdubbed with audience; 2nd record contains live concert with 1 studio track overdubbed with audience |
| Revolution of the Mind: Live at the Apollo, Volume III | 1971 | Double LP |
| Hot on the One | 1980 | Double LP |
| James Brown and Friends: Soul Session Live | 1988 | Includes 1 studio duet with Aretha Franklin |
| Love, Power, Peace: Live at the Olympia, Paris 1971 | 1992 | Previously unreleased triple LP |
| Live at the Apollo 1995 | 1995 | Contains 1 studio track |
| Say It Live & Loud: Live in Dallas 08.26.68 | 1998 | Previously unreleased |
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