James Brown, musician

May 3, 1933-Dec. 25, 2006

Shake, Rattle & Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)

“The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” picked cotton, shined shoes, boxed, and played baseball before making it big.

NPR offers information about the man, the message and the soul.