James Brown's Famous Dance Moves

Brown’s uncanny ability to “scream” on key, to sing soulful slow ballads as well as electrifying up-tempo tunes, to plumb the rhythmic possibilities of the human voice and instrumental accompaniment, and to blend blues, gospel, jazz, and country vocal styles together made him one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. His extraordinary dance routines featuring deft deployment of microphones and articles of clothing as props, acrobatic leaps, full-impact knee landings, complex rhythmic patterns, dazzling footwork, dramatic entrances, and melodramatic exits redefined public performance within popular music and inspired generations of imitators (not least Michael Jackson).

Michael Jackson’s dance style has been prominently influenced by the greatest dancers and entertainers of the 20th century, such as Jackie Wilson, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, and Sammy Davis, Jr. He was also an admirer of legendary artists from the music hall tradition, such as Marcel Marceau and Charlie Chaplin. But, the greatest inspiration for Michael Jackson since his early childhood was Mr. James Brown aka “The Godfather of Soul".

Michael often referred to him as a “genius” or “the master” and stated in numerous appearances that nobody has influenced him more that James Brown: "Ever since I was a small child, no more than like six years old, my mother would wake me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to watch the television to see the master at work. And when I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I had never seen a performer perform like James Brown, and right then and there I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown."