Jimmy Nolen (center) backs the Godfather of Soul August 12, 1972, at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York. Photo by Thomas Monaster/NY
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JIMMY NOLEN
Everyone knows James Brown essentially created funk. And if Brown was the Godfather of
Soul, then the late Jimmy Nolen was the groovin’ don’s 6-string consigliere. Nolen played with
Brown from 1965 to 1970, took a two-year
break, and then joined forces with him again
from 1972 until his death in 1983. Before
hooking up with Brown, Nolen paid his dues
playing blues on the Chitlin’ Circuit and being
the house guitarist for traveling acts coming
through Oklahoma, Arizona, and California.
Gear-wise, Nolen used a variety of tools
during his career. The guitars he was most
often spotted with included Gibson ES- 175
and ES- 5 Switchmaster hollowbodies, a
Japanese-made Stratocaster copy called a
Fresher Straighter, and a Gibson Les Paul
Recording Model with single-coils. To achieve
his signature sound, he ran the guitars
through a Fender Twin Reverb with the treble
cranked. As any live version of “I Got the
Feeling” proves, Nolen’s tone was clean and
full, and despite playing in such a large band,
you can hear every note.
