Grits & Soul
| Grits & Soul | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1964[1] | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Studios | ||||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 37:47 | |||
| Label | Smash | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Grits & Soul | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Record Mirror | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [7] |
Grits & Soul is the eighth studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in August of 1964 by Smash Records.[1] Brown does not sing on the album; he was sidestepping his contract obligations with King Records. Instead, Brown plays keyboards.[5] This is the first known recording of Maceo Parker, seen on the right of the album cover, at this point on baritone saxophone.[2][3][4] Nat Jones, at left on the cover, is one of four Kinston, NC musicians performing on the album, with Maceo Parker's brother Melvin on drums and Robert Knight on trumpet.[8]
Chart performance
The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated April 10, 1965, peaking at No. 124 during a ten-week run on the chart.[9]
Track listing
All tracks composed by James Brown as "Ted Wright"; except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grits" | Nat Jones, Ted Wright | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Tempted" | 3:10 | |
| 3. | "There" | 3:30 | |
| 4. | "After You're Through" | 3:05 | |
| 5. | "Devil's Hideaway" | 5:13 | |
| 6. | "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" | Don Kirkpatrick, Kevin Knox | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Infatuation" | Nat Jones, Ted Wright | 4:28 |
| 8. | "Wee Wee" | 2:35 | |
| 9. | "Mister Hip" | 4:35 | |
| 10. | "Headache" | 2:22 |
Personnel
- James Brown – organ
- McKinley "Mack" Johnson, Teddy Washington, Ron Tooley, Joe Dupars, Robert Knight – trumpet
- Wilmer Milton – trombone
- Nat Jones – alto saxophone, arrangement
- St. Clair Pinckney, Eldee Williams, Al Brisco Clark – tenor saxophone
- Maceo Parker – baritone saxophone
- Bobby Byrd or Lucas “Fats” Gonder – piano, organ
- Les Buie – guitar
- probably Sam Thomas – bass
- Melvin Parker, Obie Williams, Nat Kendrick – drums
Charts
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[9] | 124 |
References
- 1 2 "iTunes - Music - Grits and Soul by James Brown". iTunes. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Leeds, Alan; Weinger, Harry (March 23, 1993). Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1969. p. 16.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Leeds, Alan (February 2007). The Singles, Volume 3: 1964–1965 (published June 8, 2007). p. 22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Leeds, Alan; Weinger, Harry (2007). Jazz. pp. 4–5.
- 1 2 Kurt Edwards. "Grits & Soul - James Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (August 14, 1965). "James Brown: Grits & Soul" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 231. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "James Brown". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 109. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Bryan, Sarah. "Really Is Hard to Beat," Oxford American. 20 Nov. 2018."
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2025.