Sylvester Stallone helped save James Brown’s career in the ’80s

Chuck Arnold

Music

By Chuck Arnold

After a great run of hits from the ’60s to the ’70s, including classics like 1965 “Dad has a new bag” “It’s a Man’s Man’s World” from 1966, “Super Bad” from 1970 and 1974 “The refund” — James Brown’s recording career was decimated by the disco explosion in the mid-’70s.

“In such an interesting time, especially in New York, everything is happening,” says Mick Jagger in A&E’s new four-part documentary “James Brown: Say It Loud,” which Rolling Stone executive produced with Ahmir “Questlove “Thompson.

“You have punk and disco, all mixed together. “A lot of other people were left behind in this, because it’s a huge change, a radical change, in the music scene.”

And part 3 of “Say It Loud,” premiering tonight, along with part 4, reveals that Brown was “upset” by the amount of disco music he borrowed from his plan.

“I’m the one who started the disco,” he says. the godfather of the soul in the document. “The record is really the vampire of a soul record.”

When the ’80s began, Brown was struggling to find success. His record company had cut his budget and he was having major fiscal problems.

But Soul Brother No. 1 got his groove back by bringing his funk to the movies.

After his lively appearance as a preacher in 1980’s “The Blues Brothers,” the late legend received an even bigger boost when Sylvester Stallone asked Brown to record a song for 1985. “Rocky IV”.

“Living in America” eventually peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Brown his second Grammy, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, in 1987.

“When ‘Living in America’ was released, it changed James Brown’s career at the time, because he hadn’t had a major record in quite a while,” says his former manager Jack Bart on “Say It Loud.” “His money increased, his popularity increased. And James Brown was in heaven again.”

Ironically, Brown’s latest Top 10 single, which was produced and co-written by disco star Dan Hartman (“Relight My Fire,” “Instant Replay”), found him recapturing the ’70s dance sound.

“It’s almost like Village People. That’s really what it looks like,” says Dr. Jason King, dean of the USC Thornton School of Music. “It sounds like ‘YMCA’ or ‘Macho Man’ or something like that. But it just works.”

It was great revenge for Brown after countless artists had stolen from him, as Questlove notes: “James Brown’s genius was used, devoured and borrowed by every other band.”