Jabo Starks added his experience, jazz sensibility and deep-groove playing to the James Brown sound. With Bland since 1959, he had already recorded some of the great blues singer's biggest hits: "I Pity the Fool," "Turn On Your Lovelight," "Stormy Monday Blues" and "That's The Way Love Is."
Jabo had the longest continuous reign as James Brown's first drummer, 1970-1975, and recorded more charting singles than any other drummer in the singer's long career. His hard-grooving, but relaxed and dependable recording style was coupled with an ability to crank up the energy at a live performance to a fever pitch. He teamed up with Clyde Stubblefield on "Live At The Apollo-Vol. 2.
Another one of Jabo and Clyde's original and innovative nightly double-drumming performances is recorded on "
Sex Machine." The live portion of this album, from Augusta, Georgia, also features Melvin Parker, the only recorded glimpse of these three great drummers working together. The energy and power they created, reinforcing and complimenting each other with accents and cymbal crashes, is truly incredible.
Jabo had a sophisticated, jazz touch and a unique feel. He could put the groove somewhere between 16th notes and 16th note triplets and turn funk into an infectious, swinging, half-time shuffle. His drum tracks have been sampled over and over by hip-hoppers and hit makers, confirming the strength of his talents.
In the middle of one of his live recordings, James makes a request of the audience: "Put your hands together for the band." As the people eagerly respond, he says, "Jab, y'all play so much!" The Godfather didn't credit his musicians in album liner notes, but he never forgot to acknowledge their efforts on the bandstand.
Jabo finally left James in 1975 to go with B.B. King and lived in his home town, Mobile, Alabama, and played occasionally on weekends.
On December 22, 2007, Starks, Stubblefield, and Bootsy Collins performed in Covington, Kentucky for the first tribute concert remembering James Brown.
John "Jabo" Starks died on May 1, 2018, at his home in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 79.
© Lissa Wales
Clyde Stublefield - John "Jabo" Starks
Clyde Stublefield - John "Jabo" Starks
Clyde Stubblefield - Ronn Dunnett - John "Jabo" Starks
Jabo Starks - Tony Royster jr. - Clyde Stubblefield
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