NEW YORK - Five decades of splits, stop-on-a-dime spins and side-gliding dance steps can take a toll even on the hardest-working man in show business.
"I'm getting very tired, and I'd love to quit yesterday," said James Brown, his gruff voice sounding a bit weary after a recent late-night performance at B.B. King's nightclub.
"I've got diabetes, I've almost broke my feet, did something to my tendons, hurt all in my back - but I work. I don't tell (fans) how bad it is. I smile when I see them."
Yet when Mr. Brown is gently asked about retirement - after all, he recently celebrated his 70th birthday and has logged more than 50 years as an entertainer - a shocked expression appears on the face of the Godfather of Soul.
"Music has sustained me," he said.
The music world could say the same of Mr. Brown, who lives in Beech Island. He's a seminal figure in rock, pop and soul - not to mention rap, disco and just about any other musical genre with an infectious groove.
Indeed, it's hard to put his achievements into words when his influence has been so widespread - from his much-replicated funk-based jams to lyrics that not only spoke of social change, but also helped influence it.
"You couldn't even list how many people have been influenced (by him)," blues singer Bonnie Raitt said. "In the Mount Rushmore of musical figures, he'd definitely be on it."
"Singlehandedly, he has been the epitome of soul music," said Chuck D of Public Enemy, one of dozens of rap groups to sample Mr. Brown's groundbreaking beats. "James presented obviously the best grooves. To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."
Chuck D recalls trying as a child to mimic Mr. Brown's famous sidestep dance on patches of ice, and how Mr. Brown's 1968 hit Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) helped fuel a new era of black pride.
"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song we were calling ourselves black," he said. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."
Mr. Brown knows his place in music history - and isn't shy about telling you.
"Disco is James Brown; hip-hop is James Brown; rap is James Brown. You know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me," he said in his rapid-fire style of speech.
If his career has been dominated by achievement after achievement, his personal life has been marked by struggles.
Mr. Brown, who was born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., and grew up in Augusta, has been jailed at least twice - once as a teen and later as a middle-aged man. He has faced tax problems and lost a wife in 1996 to complications from plastic surgery. Last year, he was sued by two of his daughters, who claimed they co-own many of his songs.
But these days, Mr. Brown's life seems charmed. He recently married one of his background singers, and they have a 2-year-old son. Despite his health problems, he seems content and inspired.
"Things are going good," Mr. Brown said, "and all I got to do is just hold up."
Mr. Brown's speech is like his concerts - engaging, quick-paced, changing gears in midstep. Though a listener might have trouble following him at times, Mr. Brown seems clear on the many messages he feels he has to deliver to today's audiences.
He's patriotic and religious. He emphasizes the need for more positive themes in music. And there aren't many artists who inspire him these days.
"When artists don't last for six months, a year, it tells you there's nothing in the music," he said. "When we were making records, and the O'Jays and all those people, Curtis Mayfield, there was a message.
"My thing is, OK, I'll give you a beat, but I'm gonna bring it back here. You can run the bases, but I want you to come back to home plate."
Mr. Brown says the racism and poverty he endured in his early years helped make him a success.
"If I had been free, totally free, I wouldn't have been this," he said.
Even when discussing the 2 1/2 -year prison term stemming from a 1988 arrest on assault and drug charges, Mr. Brown keeps a slight smile on his face.
"When I went to prison, it didn't bother me. You know why it didn't bother me? I could have gotten out. I went on my word. I knew what I didn't do, and I wouldn't say I did," said Mr. Brown, who maintained his innocence in the case.
Last week, Mr. Brown was pardoned for that conviction and for a 1998 conviction on charges of using a weapon under the influence. The latter earned him a stint in a 90-day drug program.
Mr. Brown also says he holds no ill will against his daughters. Last year, Yamma Brown Lumar, 29, and Deanna Brown Thomas, 33, filed a lawsuit claiming they co-own the copyrights to 23 songs, including the 1976 hit Get Up Offa That Thing. Mr. Brown says the lawsuit is without merit.
Still, he adds: "I can't think of nothing I would sue my daddy for, (even) if he done did it right there in front of me. I love my children, and I hope they have all the luck in the world because I'm not worried. I've done everything I can do."
He still feels as if he has plenty more to accomplish in other areas. He put out a new album last year on a small label. He'd like to see a movie made of his life, perhaps with Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead.
And like much of his music, his outlook remains optimistic. When asked about his career highlights, he said simply: "There is no high points. It's getting higher and higher."
