It's a Mother, released in August 1969, goes far beyond soul: it anticipates the deeper funk to come. It features the monster two-part single, "Mother Popcorn," a #1 R&B and #11 Pop hit and one of the last of the classic Pee Wee Ellis arrangements for James Brown. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard R&B/Soul LP chart and #26 on the Billboard 200. Decades later, its sequence of hip tracks, "ballads and jams" makes it a benchmark for producers, neo-funk bands and crate digging DJs.