Celebrating James Brown: James Brown's Ghostwriter Bruce Tucker.

Tucker wrote Brown's memoir, The Godfather of Soul, which was recently reprinted. He joins Fresh Air to talk about Brown's rise as a soul singer, the evolution of his stage persona, and his recent conviction and imprisonment, a punishment which Tucker believes is too severe based on the charges.

Collins got his start with James Brown, where he "defined the finger-popping funk bass style" (Rolling Stone). He went on to work with George Clinton as part of the Parliment-Funkadelic tribe, before forming Bootsy's Rubber Band. On stage, he created alter egos, including Bootzilla, Boot-Tron, and King of the Geepies. He's put out more than 30 albums, and has just released "Blasters of the Universe," with a new band.

Maceo Parker was a member of James Brown's horn section. Parker was hired along with his brother, but soon made a name for himself. His new album is a straightforward jazz record, called Roots Revisited.