Danny Ray, James Brownâs âOriginal Hype Man,â Dies at 85
He opened thousands of concerts for the âGodfather of Soul,â and closed them by draping a sequined velvet over his body just before the encore.
Danny Ray, right, with James Brown backstage at the Apollo Theater in Manhattan in 1964. His cape routine helped cement Mr. Brown’s image as the flamboyant “Godfather of Soul.”Credit.Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives, via Getty Images
Feb. 12, 2021
Danny Ray, who opened thousands of concerts for James Brown with a stem-winding, hype-filled introduction and ended them by draping a sequined velvet cape over the singerâs sweaty, bent-over body, only to have him burst forth in a paroxysm of soulful funk for one last encore, died on Feb. 2 at his home in Augusta, Ga. He was 85.