Song Clearance Sheet
5 sources citedPapa's Got a Brand New Bag
See all James Brown in the catalogue →
Funk1960s129BPM
E majKey
More around 130 BPM → · More in E major →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
A confirmed songwriter of record (James Brown’s estate) and the foundational funk recording. Unlike Funky Drummer elsewhere in this catalog, no uncredited-musician dispute was found for this specific track.
Used by independents?
Yes — used by John Oswald on his self-released 1989 “Plunderphonic” project (“Brown”) — pressed in 1,000 copies and given away free.
Quick Facts
Released1965
GenreFunk, Soul, R&B
LabelKing Records
ProducerJames Brown
Recorded atArthur Smith Studios, Charlotte, North Carolina
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — James Brown’s estate
Substack → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — originally King Records; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — a foundational funk record; #8 Hot 100 (Brown’s first crossover Top Ten) and #1 R&B for eight weeks. Grammy Hall of Fame (1999); one of the Rock Hall’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found, but a confirmed songwriter of record (Brown’s estate) and decades of legitimate use.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The other foundational James Brown funk cornerstone in this catalog — but note that one carries an uncredited-musician story (Clyde Stubblefield) this track does not
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)James Brown (estate)
No uncredited-musician dispute foundUnlike Funky Drummer elsewhere in this catalog, no specific uncredited-musician dispute over formal songwriting credit was found for this particular track in this pass — despite Brown’s broader documented reputation for not sharing credit.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The literal birth of funk
Widely considered the first true funk record — Jimmy Nolen’s distinctive “chicken scratch” guitar technique on this track is directly credited as the origin point of the style nearly every subsequent funk guitarist built on.
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs · read it →
A recording born from a contract loophole
Brown had been barred from recording new vocal material for over a year due to a contract dispute — signed to King as a singer, but legally free to record instrumentals for Smash Records since his contract didn’t cover him as an instrumentalist.
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs · read it →
The version you know was edited and sped up
The original studio take ran roughly seven minutes with extended solos; the released single was edited, split into two parts and sped up. The true unedited version wasn’t issued until the 1991 box set “Star Time.”
Wikipedia · read it →
A confirmed independent-artist sample
Sound-collage artist John Oswald built his track “Brown” around James Brown recordings including this one, on 1989’s “Plunderphonic” — a self-released project pressed in 1,000 copies and given away free, never sold: the purest kind of independent, self-distributed use.
WhoSampled · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A foundational funk standard
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
JB
James Brown’s estate
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse the catalog →
References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
Was this page helpful?
Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (SEO Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass