Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today May 3
1933
James Brown is born: without the Godfather of Soul, half of modern music would not exist
On May 3, 1933, James Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina — the man who turned rhythm into religion. From soul to funk, his way of treating every instrument like a drum changed popular music forever: without him there is no funk, no hip-hop, and far less rhythmic rock. An obsessive worker and total showman, he remains the standard every live act is measured against.
James Brown
1919
Pete Seeger is born, the folk conscience who even unsettled Dylan
On May 3, 1919, Pete Seeger was born in New York, banjo in hand and convictions intact for nearly a century. He popularized 'We Shall Overcome', stood up to McCarthyism and planted the folk revival that produced Dylan and company. Legend says he wanted to cut the cables during Dylan's electric set at Newport 1965: true or not, it captures his unshakeable faith in song as a social tool.
Pete Seeger
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