This is the definitive biography of this extraordinary and controversial superstar, encompassing his entire life, until his death on Christmas day, 2006.For decades, James Brown dominated the changing face of post-war popular black music. Others have been as inspirational in the short term, and several of his successors have been bigger pop stars, but none has matched Brown's independent authority, sustained influence or commercial longevity. While generations danced to the pulse of James Brown, at the end of the 1980s the man himself was back in a southern US jail, a mile from where he was incarcerated in his teens. Between the two internments is the compelling story of a man who, by reaching from his roots and striving determinedly for himself, came to represent in music and personal power, the post-war emancipation of black America.Illustrated with rare photographs and includes a comprehensive discography.