Marva Whitney. Soul Sister #1. James Brown's first and rawest female vocalist -- a voice that didn't ask, didn't plead, didn't apologize. It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To) is the sound of a woman claiming her space and daring you to say something about it. Brown worked her hard, paid her little, and she walked away. The records she left behind? Sampled by Kool Keith, DJ Shadow, and a hundred others who recognized that rawness can't be faked.