• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Any NJ Radio tributes to the late James Brown?

S

SoulCrusher

I was very disappointed to hear of the passing of the late great Godfather Of Soul, James Brown, early on Christmas Day. He was an incredible recording artist whose sound evolved several times over the course of a career that spanned six decades, and laid the foundation for the sounds of years to come. The man was definitely ahead of his time, and no one could put on a live performance quite like him. There are no visionaries out there in music today, only people who copy acts that came out before them - look at all the people out there that owe their careers to Soul Brother Number 1.

Here is my question. Has any radio station in all of New Jersey paid tribute to James Brown in any way? I have listened to several stations today and yesterday in the hopes of finding some kind of acknowledgement of his passing, and either testimonies and/or a collection of JB songs. I haven't heard it anywhere, not on The Breeze, not on that pathetic excuse for an Oldies station known as WJRZ (just call yourself Classic Hits already, that's what you are), not even on 96.1/93.1 The Touch. I am very disappointed that these stations haven't stopped their regular programming for even a short time to pay respects to The Hardest Working Man In Show Business. I guarantee that if some talentless nothing that's popular now, like Britney Spears, were to pass away, you would hear about it on every station and everyone would be crying about it, and there would be an endless parade of tributes.

What hath the 1996 Telecom Act wrought? A bunch of heartless bastards that are only concerned with the bottom line, that's what. God forbid we stop for a short time to honor a recording legend. To say the least, I'm disappointed.
 
I stand corrected: Shortly after I posted this message, I heard The Touch play a block of JB songs, including an unedited "Get Up Offa That Thing".

It's good to know someone is paying tribute to the late musical legend. Unfortunately we can't say the same about Greater Greedia and Pre$$ Communications and their stations. Not a single remark or even a song on either of these stations - they're too busy playing their tired white-bread pop that no one listens to anymore.
 
Dood..
On Big Jay & Anita In The Morning on 100.1 WJRZ, we did TONS of JB mentions..and played almost every hit in his library..albiet in short form. I did it solo the day after Xmas..and today too. We even spent an hour doing James Brown Trivia BOTH days on Record Pig Trivia.. I met him twice..complicated man..but a legend no doubt.
I've got "I Feel Good (I Got You) autographed by JB. One of my prized possesions.
SO..thinking our station is pathetic or whatever juvenile comment you made about the station is laughable..we are a classic hits station these days..oldies be gone..at least the TERM that means NOTHING any longer, because oldies means different things to all age groups today. I didn't write the rules..it's just the way it IS now.
So..before message board folks spout-off about this station or that station..LISTEN and THEN respond. Really LISTEN! Have the respect to HEAR something before making comments. It's hard to listen to more than one station at a time. Heck..I can't have even listen to MY show while I'm ON..let alone trying to hear what all the other folks are doing!
Thanks! And BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com
The Original Big Jay
 
Big Jay comes to the board!

I went off a little bit there, since I heard and saw very little in the way of tributes to JB. Very few on cable television, and none on local radio - I'm glad to hear that you paid tribute to Mr. Dynamite in your own little way.

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much in the way of tributes. White county, White radio stations (TWO Country stations, for crying out loud!). But The Godfather Of Soul was universal. He had fans of diverse backgrounds and age groups (I'm only 29, born after most of his best work came out, but I'm a huge fan). His influence can be heard and seen in so many genres of music today, everywhere from the Stones to Michael Jackson to countless hip-hop acts.

As for my feelings of WJRZ (despite my age, I'm a big fan of pre-British Invasion music): You guys are just rolling with the changing tides of the music industry, as the shift from predominantly '50/'60s to mostly late '60s/'70s is now complete. You are far from the only station that has taken such a dramatic shift. I do enjoy some of the music you play, though I'm not listening as much as I used to due to repetition and having less fondness for much of the '70s music. But I do think a change in reporting to Classic Hits would be a more accurate representation of what you are playing now.

Apologies for the rant before. As said before, I was just very surprised at the seemingly quiet response to the loss of Soul Brother Number 1. Have a nice day.
 
On my show, note the signature, in addition to the regular features of the show, I plan a special year end tribute to the entertainers we lost in 2006 and James Brown will feature a prominent role. Listen in Saturday and please offer feedback.

- Jim
 
I am so sick of everyone with this white black thing, the white stations always get crucified if they dont pay respect to some black artist. I sure did not hear any Pantara on the urban formatted stations when the great Pigpen passed away and that goes for any other white rock artist that receives no respect from any black station. When Elvis passed no urban station in Philly played or said anything about him except Georgie Woods who said he stole from the black man......Give me a break with this already.....
 
RunWithScissors said:
I am so sick of everyone with this white black thing, the white stations always get crucified if they dont pay respect to some black artist. I sure did not hear any Pantara on the urban formatted stations when the great Pigpen passed away and that goes for any other white rock artist that receives no respect from any black station. When Elvis passed no urban station in Philly played or said anything about him except Georgie Woods who said he stole from the black man......Give me a break with this already.....
Click to expand...

James Brown was a cross-over pop artist on both urban and oldies stations. Dimebag of "Pantara" - it's Pantera - was NOT. The only song of Pantera's that crossed over was "Walk", and that didn't even get a lot of airplay.

Don't make this a white/black thing.
 
As noted, KUDOS to Big Jay and Annita, as I heard his tribute too. But let us not forget major Kudos to the Bruce Brunch on 1057 The Hawk, as even Tom Cunningham worked in a JB tune, brilliantly tying in the Godfather of Souls' imprint on Southside Johnny and Bruce Springsteen. TC said they were both at the Asbury Park show and made them want to be performers. So "Kudos" to all for remembering the late JB.
 
All kudos gratefully accepted, krichardson ... and thanks to Soul Brother Number One for making these tributes necessary. I met him once, back in 1986; he was a man old enough to be my father (although that didn't stop him from trying to pick me up -- in Spanish, no less), yet his charisma even then was undeniable.

JB is so firmly engrained in the American musical psyche that even as early as the late 1960's, the Monkees (of all people) used to routinely salute him in concert by doing the whole cape routine! It doesn't get much more crossover than that.

Thanks for playin' ...

Anita
www.bigjayandanita.com
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom