The Godfather of Soul," "Soul Brother No. 1," "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr Dynamic" ... all these are mighty titles, but no one can doubt that James Brown, the legendary American artist in his 70s, has earned them.

The great musician is coming to the Chinese mainland for the first time next week and will be holding a concert with a full entourage of backup singers and dancers - his world-famous 19-piece band - for one night only.

"I don't know much about China," says Brown. "I look forward to seeing China and to the concert as well. To me, it's a 'special honor' as very few performers from my era have ever performed in China."

With 114 singles and 17 No. 1 hits, few other singers have been so influential on the course of popular music. Through the impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex rhythms of his beats, Brown was a crucial catalyst in not just one, but two revolutions in American music: He was the figure most responsible for turning R&B into soul in the 1960s; and turning soul into funk in the early 1970s.

In the mid-1970s, he had two more notable successes, the single "Get Up Offa That Thing" and the album "Reality." The entertainer has toured internationally, including stops in Japan and Africa. He has sold more than 100 million records.

Brown has amassed an amazing total of 98 entries on Billboard's Top 40 R&B singles charts, a record unsurpassed by any other artist. His production output includes a host of memorable titles, songs that each have their special niche in pop music history. They include "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Baby You're Right," "Get It Together," "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothin'," "Sex Machine" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)."

"Everybody's got soul! Everybody doesn't have the same culture to draw from, but everybody's got soul," he defines. "Soul is a deep feeling and a committed feeling. Soul is something that stays with you despite the obstacles that are put in front of you. Soul is the real you. Soul is when you feel that God is watching over you, and if you make a mistake or do something willfully against somebody else, soul will make you realize that you've done something wrong."

However, his music is now more influential than ever, as his voice and rhythms are sampled on numerous hip-hop recordings, and music critics hail his innovations as among the most important in all of the 20th century. Currently, Brown is busy performing around the world (He plays around 125 performances per year!) but sometimes he also takes time out to record.

Recently he has collaborated with the popular hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas. At Brown's historical concert in China, the performance will offer a unique opportunity for Shanghai audiences to share his legendary hit songs and dynamic stage presence. His fans are eager to witness him perform "Make It Funky," "Super Bad," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and other classics as only he can.

"I'm so excited about concert," says Gary Wang, a local DJ. "I started to listen to Brown's music as early as in the early 1990s. He is such an influential figure in pop music history and has his own character in terms of the performing arts."

"I think it worth the price," he says. "I have never watched him playing live. He is already in his 70s and I have no idea whether I would have any other chance to witness him playing live. I'm looking forward to listening to him playing my favorite songs including 'Super Bad,' 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' as well as 'Soul Power'."

The Shanghai concert will also be Brown's only one-night stay on Chinese mainland as he will travel from Shanghai to Seoul, South Korea, for his next performance.

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