We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about James Brown, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the singer and musician that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: He Truly Is the Godfather of Soul. Brown is credited as being one of the founding fathers of funk, which is one of the highest honors anyone can have. He is highly regarded as being the Godfather of Soul.
Number Seven: He Mistakenly Died. Well, sort of. One reporter committed one of the cardinal sins of journalism when they accidentally reported Brown as dead. He was very much alive at the time!
Number Six: He Was Incredibly Influential. As a musician and artist, Brown influenced many other artists. Some other artists he influenced include Kanye West and Jay Z. In fact, Kanye and Jay’s song titled “Gotta Have It” samples Brown’s music on three separate occasions.
Number Five: He Has an Interesting Tattoo. In 1991, Brown decided he did not want to mess around with his eyebrows anymore, so he went ahead and tattooed them on. He always presented himself with a very put-together appearance.
Number Four: He Was Married Four Times. Over the course of his life, Brown was married on four separate occasions. His first wife was Velma Warren, then Deidre Jenkins, Adrienne Rodriguez, and Tomi Rae Hynie. His longest marriage was to Warren.
Number Three: He Campaigned for Nixon. It’s no secret that Brown was a Republican, but he was also quite politically active. He even campaigned for Nixon.
Number Two: He Did Not Know How to Read Sheet Music. It’s true! Despite the fact that Brown had an incredibly successful career and is known as the founder of funk music, he could not read sheet music!
Number One: Michael Jackson Was a Fan. But really, who wasn’t a fan of Brown? Jackson presented Brown with his Lifetime Achievement Award from BET in 2003. Jackson had this to say about Brown: “When I was a child at six years old, he was the one I looked up to more than any other entertainer.” Aw.