Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud

SAY IT LOUD – I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD

“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” is a funk song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis in 1968. It was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Both parts of the single were later included on James Brown’s 1968 album A Soulful Christmas and on his 1969 album sharing the title of the song. The song became an unofficial anthem of the Black Power movement. (More from Wikipedia)

Many of James Brown’s songs were taken from catchphrases of the day – some that he picked up on, others that he popularized – such as “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World”, “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine”, “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, “Don’t Be a Dropout”, “Night Train”, etc.

(October 2013)