James Brown

The “Godfather of Soul” title undersells how directly modern funk traces back to Brown’s bands in the late 1960s and early ’70s — the emphasis on the downbeat, the interlocking horns and guitar working like one instrument. Recorded for King Records through the era that mattered most.

Live at the Apollo gets most of the attention. The singles from that stretch are where the rhythm section work actually shows up, and they’re generally the better hunt.