James Brown

Marva Whitney, the R&B-funk singer who died Saturday at age 68, according to her official Facebook page, toured with the James Brown Revue from 1967 to 1970, and briefly held the spotlight on her own with three hits she charted in 1969. Rolling Stone reports the cause of death as complications from pneumonia. Whitney, whom Brown called "Soul Sister No. 1," got her biggest hit with a response to the Isley Brothers' “It's Your Thing,” a song she delivered as “It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)

Marva Whitney, the R&B-funk singer who died Saturday at age 68, according to her official Facebook page, toured with the James Brown Revue from 1967 to 1970, and briefly held the spotlight on her own with three hits she charted in 1969. Rolling Stone reports the cause of death as complications from pneumonia. Whitney, whom Brown called "Soul Sister No. 1," got her biggest hit with a response to the Isley Brothers' “It's Your Thing,” a song she delivered as “It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)

The body of soul singer James Brown has yet to be buried as attorneys and his children work to settle issues surrounding his estate, including where he will be laid to rest. For now, his body lies in his home on Beech Island, said Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, Ga., which handled the services. Brown died of heart failure Dec. 25 at age 73.

James Brown died on Dec. 25, 2006, but his rip-roaring imprint continues, as witnessed by “Down Around Brown Town,” now leaping, rocking and boogieing around the El Portal's Monroe Forum Theatre. Created by KIN Dance Company founders Frit and Frat, this compact revue pursues bare-bones means to inventive ends. Following a Brown mini-bio (narration recorded by Blair Underwood), the cast appears in scattered tableaux. Enter fulsome Promise Marks to launch “I Feel Good” as everyone gets down and then some.

The body of soul singer James Brown has yet to be buried as attorneys and his children work to settle issues surrounding his estate, including where he will be laid to rest. For now, his body lies in a sealed casket in his home on Beech Island, S.C., said Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, Ga., which handled the services. Brown died of heart failure Dec. 25 at age 73.

The unveiling of a statue honoring singer James Brown has been delayed by the city of Augusta, Ga., until he resolves legal matters. The statue's debut had been scheduled for this week, to coincide with the Godfather of Soul's 71st birthday and a downtown music festival that was, until recently, named in his honor. The festival reverted to its original name, the Garden City Music Festival, after a public backlash over Brown's Jan. 28 arrest for allegedly hitting his wife, Tomi Rae Brown.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against soul singer James Brown that claimed he raped a former employee 17 years ago and used threats to ensure her silence. U.S. Magistrate Sidney Schenkier ruled the two-year statute of limitations on such a claim had expired, but plaintiff Jacque Hollander and her attorney said she intended to appeal the dismissal. The civil lawsuit, filed in January in U.S. District Court in Illinois, sought more than $100 million in damages.

James Brown will perform in New Zealand after the government granted the Godfather of Soul a special visa, despite a string of criminal convictions that would normally ban him from the country. Brown, 70, received a special event work visa to perform a "one night only" show in the northern city of Auckland tonight, immigration officials said. The singer faces a jury trial in South Carolina in a domestic violence case involving his wife.

Sixteen months have passed, and James Brown is still a prisoner. On Dec. 15, 1988, Soul Brother No. 1 became inmate No. 155413 and has since been required to spend his days behind bars in the minimum security State Park (S.C.) Correctional Institute. But on Wednesday, Brown began participating in a county work-release program that will place him back out in the community, acting as a spokesman for the Aiken and Barnwell Counties Community Action Commission.

DANNY RAY is the emcee who introduced James Brown at his concerts from the early 1960s up through the Godfather of Soul's last show in November. And if you ever attended a performance by Brown you know that he was "introduced" about every three minutes -- Ray was as hoarse as an auctioneer after gigs. "I wish I had a nickel," Ray said, "for every time I've said his name."

In accordance with established Quentin Tarantino tradition , the upcoming soundtrack to the director's "Django Unchained" is to feature no shortage of crate-digger's delights, including Jim Croce's " I Got a Name " and vintage film music by Ennio Morricone. For what he's describing as the first time in his career, though, Tarantino also commissioned original songs from a handful of artists, the largest and most in-charge of whom made his contribution available for streaming on Friday: In "100 Black Coffins" Rick Ross boasts that he looks like Big Daddy Kane over an eerie, whistle-enriched beat produced by the film's star, Jamie Foxx.

The One The Life and Music of James Brown RJ Smith Gotham Books: 455 pp., $27.50 Music is well said to be the speech of angels, the 18th century Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle wrote. But then, he never spent any time with James Brown. In a five-decade career as one of the most successful recording artists of all time, Brown influenced generations of musicians and reached millions of fans with his fierce talent. He was also far from angelic - demanding, egotistical and prone to pulling a gun on those who disagreed with him. Brown used his fists when he needed to (which, in his view, was not infrequently)

Adele's voice has given her the biggest success this year — and the most trouble. The singer will have throat surgery and has now canceled all tour dates and promotional appearances for the year. Columbia Records announced Friday that the "Rolling in the Deep" singer will have surgery "to alleviate the current issues with her throat. " A full recovery is expected. Earlier this month, the 23-year-old performer canceled a U.S. concert run due to a hemorrhage in her vocal cord; she also canceled concerts in June due to laryngitis.

EVENTS Danish Days Solvang's 75th annual festival takes on special significance this year, as it also marks the town's centennial. The celebration features folk dancing, live music, theater performances, authentic food, parades and living history exhibits. Various venues, Solvang. 4-10 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Free. (800) 468-6765. http://www.solvangusa.com. Taste of Newport The 23rd-annual fest offers three days to sample fare from more than 30 local restaurants, sip wine from 15 California wineries and enjoy live music — all against the backdrop of Newport Beach.

A beautifully structured and photographed film, John Turturro's rapturous "Passione" offers a vibrant exploration and celebration of Neapolitan music in all its grit and glory, presenting 23 musical numbers that encompass a millennium's worth of influences. Turturro observes that Naples has been invaded by Arabs, Normans, France, Spain and the U.S. and points out that it has survived volcanic eruptions, wars, crime, poverty and neglect. For Turturro the place and the music are one, and he embraces both with love and respect.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe Gayle Tzemach Lemmon Harper: 288 pp., $24.99 Kamela Sediqi was not yet 20 when the Taliban took over in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1996. When her father, a military man under former strongman Najibullah (who was killed by the Taliban), moved out of Kabul, he left Sediqi in charge of her sisters and younger brother. The Taliban issued their edicts: Women were to stay at home, they were not permitted to work, and they were forced to wear the face-covering chadri in public.

James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul" who died on Christmas Day, was entombed during a private family ceremony presided over by the Rev. Al Sharpton, the minister's office said. Brown, who died in Atlanta at 73, was laid to rest in a crypt in Beech Island, S.C., pending the completion of a public mausoleum in an as-yet undisclosed location. Brown's children, close friends and other family members were with Sharpton and other clergy for the noon interment.

James M. Humes, appointed a top staff member Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, is a lawyer who established a reputation in the attorney general's office as an affable, loyal and decisive manager who protected Brown but was not afraid to disagree with him. Brown named Humes executive secretary for administration, legal affairs and policy at a salary of $175,000 a year. The job, akin to a chief of staff, does not need Senate confirmation. Humes ran the attorney general's office under Brown, overseeing a staff of 5,300, including 1,100 lawyers, and gave up a likely judicial appointment to continue to serve his old boss.

"The T.A.M.I. Show," the fabled film document of an equally legendary 1964 concert in Santa Monica with the Rolling Stones, James Brown, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Chuck Berry and a half-dozen other acts, has a back story that reads like the inspiration for the Stones' observation years later about getting what you need even when you don't get what you want. As originally planned, "The T.A.M.I. Show" was supposed to be considerably more than a concert film featuring several of the day's hottest pop-music acts.