Listening to some of James Brown’s band members…master trombonist, Fred Wesley, for one, James was a perfectionist, and yes, the hardest worker in show business. Christmas off? Maybe once in a while, but they were underpaid, and sometimes not at all, working every day and all day “until James got tired.” What came through the interview was their high regard for his artistry, that he could make a good band great, a mediocre melody totally new. He made his mark, time and again, despite the troubling reports about his abuse of women, despite the fact that his mother and father had abandoned him, despite his oddball politics…he was an artist.

Watch the special on HBO about the Godfather of Soul, on tonight. We need to remember what came before rap, what led the way in popular music, what we still go back to.

While you are at it, make your mark in hair color. The Geo Palette Hair System strives for perfectionism in the world of hair color…creative, innovative, cutting edge, whether it’s conventional or outside the box. Jimi or James, Basie or Ella, Mozart or Bach, Picasso or Modigliani, they all made a name from perfecting their art. Take the leap and get Geo Palette color.  -JC