WHAT SOUL MUSIC BIOPICS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT?

It,s been a long time, but we have two rival Marvin Gaye movies in the works! One, called SEXUAL HEALING, focuses on the decline of Gaye's career and now THE ITALIAN JOB remake and Friday's F. Gary Gray has one called MARVIN that chronicles his entire life, not just post Motown. Hopefully they BOTH will do justice to the legendary performer. Whether or not they will hit the big or small screens is not yet known.

Tele-biopics made on the Temptations, Ike & Tina Turner, and M.C. Hammer were done with style and respect, but the Little Richard tele-movie left something to be desired. Most biopics of singers/musicians usually follow the same formula; their early circumstances and struggles, the initial break(s) and rise to the top, and the ending of their story. "Dreamgirls" loosely based on the rise of the Supremes, was an example of the kind of moviemaking the public craves for

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To tell the truth, there haven,t been many movies done on Black artists with the exception of "Ray", "What,s Love Got To Do With It", and "Jacksons:The American Dream". I would love to see Sly & the the Family Stone , the Rick James autobiography (Confessions Of A Super Freak), Jackie Wilson, and a host of others on the big screen.

Moviemaker SPIKE LEE is hunting for the perfect JAMES BROWN, so he can make a start on a planned biopic of the soul legend. Lee, who was picked to direct the film by producer BRIAN GRAZER after he acquired the rights to Brown's life, plans to act quick while the Godfather of Soul's Christmas Day death is still fresh in people's mind. He says, "Now that he's passed, it changes everything."

But, despite the rush, the MALCOLM X director insists he won't be hasty when it comes to picking the right actor to portray Brown - and he insists his star won't be expected to sing. He adds, "Whoever we have is going to be lip-syncing. We're not trying to impersonate him." Grazer is confident the film will be an accurate biopic after securing the services of Brown's best friend and confidante REV. AL SHARPTON, who was the first person told of the soul star's death.

Hopefully Spike Lee is still attached to do the "James Brown Story". Last word was that Lee and the studio had a falling out because the studio didn,t want to put enough money in the project for him to do it justice. A a 3 hour movie or a 5-6 Hr. TV miniseries would cover all aspects of Brown,s life given the proper script and director. Most important of all; someone who could actually PLAY the part of the Godfather of Soul.

At one time, R&B star User was the front runner for the part and I do believe he could pull it OFF! If not him, an unknown or unknowns for various stages of Brown,s career (please no Samuel L. Jackson playing JB at ANY stage). The Beatles and Elvis have been filmed time and time again. It,s JB,s time and please, please, please, DO IT RIGHT!
Hollywood director Spike Lee of "Malcolm X" fame is struggling to get financial support for a biopic of the late James Brown, one of the most popular singers of his time.Lee revealed that he has had plans to make the movie for some time now but no studio is backing him.

Lee said: "I have a black biopic, no-money trilogy: Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and James Brown. Those are three films I have scripts for and am trying to get done but have been unsuccessful so far. "They (film studios) don't think there's a market for it, they're not interested. Or they think it costs too much. So that's one of those reasons why studios don't make anything."

I have nothing against any of the other entertainers, white or black, dead or alive, as far as their filmed stories(movies, tv. etc.) but COME ON now! I have read several books and countless magazine stories on JB. The latest book, the JAMES BROWN READER, has 50 years of material culled from soul magazines JET, BLACK STARS, SEPIA, and other lesser known, music newspapers and magazines.

It makes for great reading and shows an entertainer who could be benevolent and generous, and a demanding tyrant who was not afraid to roar when he wanted thing done HIS way. Lee has gotten help from the likes of Oprah (who would be perfect if she ever decided to do the story of MADAM C. J. WALKER) and other black giants in the industry to get MALCOM X done. Just hoping these projects come to pass is not enough, we must DEMAND!

How about a movie about Soul Diva Millie Jackson? Bold! Sassy! Outspoken! Brash! She,s all that and more! She,s the outrageous MILLIE JACKSON! Never has any singer, male or female, reveled in such a strong stage performance, singing songs for the mature adult-only crowd. She has spawned a row of successors, including Little Kim, Da Brat and Foxy Brown, among others over the years. I have had the privilege of seeing a rare and hard-to-find MILLIE JACKSON concert on VHS entitled:

"MILLIE JACKSON LIVE AT THE APOLLO 1990"

Part Richard Pryor/all female dirty gertie!
This rare only for mature audiences concert showcases "The Queen of Raunch" at what she does best! Millie J. performs her hits ranging from the classic "IF YOU,RE NOT BACK IN LOVE BY MONDAY" (she also does it country-style ala Merle Haggard!), to the outrageous and bawdy "LET ME FEEL IT"(maybe not the exact title but it comes close).

Millie steps off the stage as she sings/raps to the men in the audience if they don,t mind if she feels "it" and proceeds to do just THAT! When I saw her going out into the audience from "willing" man to man doing (just use your imagination!), I fell to the floor with uncontrollable laughter! At one point, a woman (shades of the L WORD) comes running down the steps at her but stops short when Millie looks up and screams "NO, NO, NO,DON,T WANT TO FEEL IT, CAN,T MAKE ME FEEL IT!" Put this in a movie and it will go through the roof!

Even one of the cameramen wasn,t safe from Millie,s foray, as he seemed to quite enjoy it! During one song she kicks off her shoes and walks around the stage barefoot, while exchanging profanity-laced banter with the audience who kept hollering for more! Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor would have felt right at home here. This is NOT FOR CHURCH FOLK as she proclaims on one of her more recent albums.

So if you,re a Millie Jackson fan and either heard one of her live recordings such as "LIVE AND UNCENSORED" or checked out her official live dvd, "MILLIE JACKSON LIVE AT THE JUNCTION" (available at Amazon.com, see below)chances are you will love this too. Just dust off your pc, adjust your chair, flex your fingers and enter the wide, wide, world of the internet. Trust me, you will find it sooner or later if you don,t give up!

James Brown and Joe Tex; Two powerhouses of the R&B Soul Music World, both from the deep south. James Brown,from Macon, Ga. and Joe Tex (real name Joseph Arrington Jr.)from where else of course, Texas. They were both labelmates in the 50s on KING records. Joe Tex had his first hit with "HOLD WHAT YOU,VE GOT" in 1964. One of JB,s early singles, 1960,s "BABY YOU,RE RIGHT" was originally written and released by Joe Tex earlier on the ANNA label. James,s version charted at #2 R&B/#49 Pop while Joe,s version didn,t hit the charts.

A rivalry soon erupted between the two when JB reportedly took Tex,s wife singer Bea Ford, who can be heard on the JB single "YOU,VE GOT THE POWER". Apparently James wrote Joe a letter telling him he could have Bea back. By this time Joe had found a new woman and responded with the 1963 single, "YOU KEEP HER" which didn,t chart either. Not long after the landmark album "LIVE AT THE APOLLO" was released in 1963, James Brown returned to Macon to play a homecoming concert at the City Auditorium with Joe Tex.

The "Clown Prince of Soul" (as Joe Tex was becoming known) could imitate anyone he wanted and came out on the stage with a raggedy cape with holes in it. He fell to his knees and all of a sudden, grabbed his back. He stated singing 'Please, Please, Please--GET ME OUT OF THIS CAPE!" Here it was James Brown,s homecoming concert and Joe Tex was making a mockery of him. Mind you, James Brown was not the least amused by his fellow performer,s antics as you are about to find out!!

Later that night he found out that Joe went to a club where a band featuring a young Otis Redding was performing. Walking in with a shotgun in hand, Brown started exchanging fire with someone across the room. They kept shooting and reloading, either not hitting the other. Several people were shot in the melee while Joe Tex ran outside the club and hid behind trees and bushes. James ran outside and his tour bus pulled out of the parking lot with him behind the wheel. Not long after, someone gave each of the injured patrons $100 each and the whole thing was quieted down.

Reportedly Joe Tex had "SOUL BROTHER #1" painted on his tour bus until James got wind of it and it was removed. Then there was the question of who really invented the acrobatic microphone tricks that both performers mastered and exhibited on stage. Not that it really mattered because they both had different styles and showmanship. There is a clip of Joe Tex performing on the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978 on Youtube. I remember seeing it on tv and his performance was nothing short of AWESOME!

As much as I enjoyed the dancers also, I thought it distracted from Joe,s mic-twirling, soul act (even seeing it I still couldn,t believe someone could actually rock the mic like THAT). There are also clips on Youtube of a live concert recorded in 1968 in Sweden called, "THE JOE TEX SHOW" , featuring the artist in his prime along with his touring band. It,s available on dvd but a little hard to find. Check to find out who downloaded the clips and then ask if they have or know where the dvd can be obtained.

Hopefully Spike Lee will still do the JB biopic because I think he is one of the few directors that could truthfully portray an enigma like James Brown. Hopefully it should be a 3 hour epic like the Malcolm X story to be done right. I have never been a big fan of Usher, but given his respect and love for the Godfather of Soul and having had previous acting experience, I feel he could do an incredible job. If Usher doesn,t get this role, get an unknown who has done some theater and somewhat resembles Mr. Brown.

James Brown,s life story should be put on the screen for his final due. Elvis, the Beatles, Ray Charles, have had their life stories grace the silver screen(the former two multiple movies and tv shows) and its way past time to give this man his due also. I enjoy listening to the "STEVE HARVEY MORNING SHOW" and the "MICHAEL BASDEN SHOW" in the afternoon, but neither hardly play any music by these two R&B legends. Musical styles change (disco, rap, etc.) but the roots are old school music which we should never forget.

So what,s truth and what,s fiction? Your guess is as good as mine but given the volatile nature of the Hardest Working Man In Show Business, it is very likely that the infamous "club shootout" was accurate. It,s a miracle both of them survived the incident(?) and went on to bigger heights in the business. I really shudder to think what course soul music would have taken without their input. May they both rest in peace.

As far as music goes, Wth the rise of rap, many young people have no idea what soul and funk is about. Not expecting them to listen to their parents music, but to let them know music back in the day had message, meaning and feeling.

You could not only remember the song but WHAT you were doing at that time in history! Today,s music is nothing like the feel good party music of the era back in the day. Not all rap is negative but the record companies know message songs don,t sell today unless they,re about negative issues.

We are losing our young people to drugs and crime and we need to demand positive images for them or we will lose a generation. Black, white, blue , green or polka dot every child is important. If they can learn and recite the words to rap songs at an early age but can,t learn their abcs then there is something very wrong.

Our generation had the old "down home blues" dirty records that couldn,t be played on the radio. Listen to the "Theme From Shaft" (you damn right), the Isley Bros. "Fight The Power" and others. My point is they have only done what we have but taken it to a higher level. We not only have to educate our youth but show by example as well.