Jimmy Nolen facts for kids

Jimmy Nolen (born April 3, 1934 – died December 18, 1983) was an American guitarist. He was famous for his special "chicken scratch" guitar playing style. He played in James Brown's bands, helping to create their unique sound. The magazine Mojo even ranked him as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time!

Jimmy Nolen's Music Career

Early Life and Learning Guitar

Jimmy Nolen was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. He started playing the guitar when he was 14 years old. He taught himself on an acoustic guitar. Before that, he had played the violin since he was nine, which gave him a good musical start. His guitar playing was inspired by blues legends like T-Bone Walker.

Jimmy was discovered in a club in Tulsa, Oklahoma by a blues singer named Jimmy Wilson. Soon after, Wilson invited Nolen to join his band. They went to Los Angeles, California, where Nolen played with other popular musicians. During this time, Nolen also recorded some of his own songs, mostly blues, but they didn't become big hits.

Playing with Johnny Otis and His Own Band

In 1957, Nolen began playing for Johnny Otis, another famous musician. He helped create the hit song "Willie and the Hand Jive." Nolen stayed with Otis until 1959. Then, he started his own group called The Jimmy Nolen Band. They played in small clubs and dance halls, often backing up other blues musicians who were passing through. Nolen's guitar style was influenced by B.B. King and Lowell Fulson. His band was popular for live shows, but they didn't release many records. In the early 1960s, Nolen also played with George "Harmonica" Smith.

Joining James Brown's Band

In 1965, Jimmy Nolen joined James Brown's band. The band's guitar player at the time, Les Buie, suggested Nolen as his replacement. Nolen became a very important part of James Brown's band, just like other famous members such as Maceo Parker (saxophone), Fred Wesley (trombone), and drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks.

The J.B.'s and Return to James Brown

Around 1970, Nolen toured with Maceo Parker's group, Maceo & All the King's Men. James Brown formed a new band called The J.B.'s with young musicians like Bootsy Collins on bass. This new band created a fresh funk sound. After a couple of years, in 1972, Nolen returned to play with The J.B.'s and James Brown.

Jimmy Nolen's Passing

Jimmy Nolen continued to play with James Brown until December 18, 1983. He passed away from a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia.

Understanding the "Chicken Scratch" Guitar Sound

Jimmy Nolen created a special way of playing guitar called "chicken scratch." This is how it works:

• He would lightly press the guitar strings against the fingerboard.
• Then, he would quickly release them just enough to make a quiet, "scratching" sound.
• He did this by strumming his other hand very fast near the bridge of the guitar.

This unique style was also shaped by the chords he chose, often using two or three notes from augmented 7th and 9th chords. He also strummed in straight 16th note patterns, which you can hear in songs like James Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag."

The guitars and amplifiers Nolen used also helped create his famous sound.

• For his first recordings with James Brown, he used hollow-body jazz guitars like the Gibson ES-175.
• He also used a Gibson Les Paul Recording model and other guitars with single coil pickups. These pickups made a thin, "chanky" sound.
• He played these guitars through a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier with the treble turned up high.

The result was a rhythm guitar sound that fit perfectly between the deep sound of the electric bass and the sharp sound of the snare drum and hi-hats. It had a rhythmic and melodic feel that was just right. You can hear this sound clearly in James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "I've Got The Feeling." Nolen had been trying out this sound even before joining James Brown, like on the Johnny Otis song "Willie and the Hand Jive" from 1958.

Jimmy Nolen's Influence on Hip Hop Music

Jimmy Nolen's guitar style was very important and influenced many guitarists and funk bands for decades. Groups like Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, and Chic were all inspired by him. But his influence on hip hop music is often not talked about enough.

Many James Brown songs that feature Nolen's guitar playing have been sampled (used as parts of new songs) by countless producers, DJs, and MCs (rappers). Songs like "Papas Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Cold Sweat," and "Funky Drummer" are just a few examples.

For instance, Eric B., a famous producer and DJ, often used James Brown samples that featured Nolen's guitar. You can hear this in songs like “Move the Crowd,” which sampled Brown's "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud." The Bomb Squad, the production group for Public Enemy, also used James Brown grooves with Nolen's "chicken scratch" style. Brown's "Make it Good to Yourself" was used in Public Enemy's song "1 Million Bottlebags." This shows how Jimmy Nolen's unique guitar playing continues to be a part of music history, even in modern genres like hip hop.