The Get On The Good Foot Student Study Guide provide biographical information on James Brown and his journey to become one of the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century. Beyond his dynamic entertainment style and music, Brown’s career juxtaposes with one of the most significant periods in American history, the 1960s. His impoverished upbringing beginning in during the Great Depression, had the effect of intensifying his determination to succeed. Living in the rural south during the ‘Jim Crow’ era presented numerous obstacles for him to overcome and some of this was expressed through his music.