The band James Brown said could never play with him: “Too complicated”
It was easy to think James Brown didn’t care about anything.
Whether it was during flamboyant media appearances or in the middle of a liberated on-stage dance routine, Brown looked as though he was in his own world, unfazed by anything taking place around him. In the case of the latter, at least, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Brown became arguably history’s greatest performer through discipline. A discipline that was imparted to the rest of his band, as he ruled from the front of the stage with steely fear. A note played just a millisecond out of time would result in a gaze from Brown that would leave you quivering for days.
It was part intimidation, part aura, as the bandmembers in question knew that the man standing behind the microphone was ruthless, but a true great at the same time. As wild and elaborate as his dance moves were, never did he miss a beat and never did he turn up on stage with the intention of delivering a half-baked performance.
In fact, the legend goes that to ensure standards were consistently met by the band, Brown imposed a series of rather intense fines. Any mistakes on stage were rumoured to have incurred a $5 fine each time, which on the surface might sound relatively futile. But the reality is, Brown was so oppressive that each member was likely to rack up several fines in one performance, and with a tour that rolled on relentlessly each night, Brown’s pursuit of perfection became pricey.
Moreover, the band had to exercise discipline off stage. Legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker, who regularly backed Brown, once explained that there were a series of non-negotiables for band members: “You gotta be on time. You gotta have your uniform. Your stuff’s got to be intact. You gotta have the bow tie. You got to have it. You can’t come up without the bow tie. You cannot come up without a cummerbund.”
It was a ruthless lifestyle imposed on his band, and ultimately one that created greatness. Whether you agree with the methodology or not, there’s simply no doubt that Brown’s band were truly captivating and provided more than enough musicality for his performances to hang off.
It meant that in the 1960s and 1970s, he was operating on a higher level than most. But many wished to see him collaborate with other bands of the decade, and give us all a chance to see how he would fare with different talent, who weren’t burdened by his strict rules.
One of the names thrown into the ring was ZZ Top, which is understandable given their guitar playing. People revelled in the thought of this obscure match, pairing Brown’s soulful funk with bona fide rock and roll. But Brown gave a simple response to the speculation: “I’m not going to be joining ZZ Top. You know they can’t play my stuff. It’s too complicated.”
It was confidence that bordered on ego, but if the bank balances of his band were anything to go by, he was probably right.
