"Stone To The Bone" by James Brown

James Brown dropped this badass track in November of 1973. This was during the early years of his storied “Godfather of Soul” era. The groove flows at a smooth funky stroll. You can easily picture James cold struttin’ to this wicked groove. John “Jabo” Starks keeps the funk level high with a sick beat, and Fred Thomas complements it with a strong bass line. Guitarists Jimmy Nolen and Hearlon "Cheese" Martin serve up some sweet licks, while James further deepens the funk with a soulful organ solo. The Godfather also delivers a dope vocal performance. Additionally, the track features a superb horn arrangement.

James sings the praises of his lady on this track. She’s a dime no doubt, but he points out that there’s much more to her than just good looks and sex appeal. She’s also a solid, faithful partner–a true ride-or-die who holds him down throughout the good and bad times. 

“Stone To The Bone” was written and produced by James. The two-part song was the lead single from his 37th studio album The Payback, released in December of 1973 on Polydor Records. The track peaked at #4 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The full personnel on "Stone To The Bone" was John "Jabo" Starks (drums), Jimmy Nolen (lead guitar), Fred Thomas (bass), Hearlon "Cheese" Martin (rhythm guitar), James Brown (vocals, organ), John Morgan (percussion) and the horn section: Maceo Parker (alto saxophone), Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison (trumpet), Fred Wesley (trombone), St. Clair Pinckney (tenor saxophone), Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford (trumpet) and Isiah "Ike" Oakley (trumpet).

According to WhoSampled.com, “Stone To The Bone” has been sampled on 37 songs, including “Alwayz into Somethin’” (N.W.A), “It’s Funky Enough” (The D.O.C.) and “Steppin’ to the A.M. (3rd Bass).

James Brown performing "Stone To The Bone" live in 1974

The full unedited clip of the "Stone To The Bone" live performance, but the quality is not as good.

 

 "Stone To The Bone" at Amazon

Related blog entry: "The Boss" by James Brown