James Brown, subject of the movie “Get on Up,” which opens Aug. 1, was born in South Carolina and died in Atlanta but grew up in Augusta and always considered it home.
“He loved Augusta,” one of his daughters, Dr. Yamma Brown, of Atlanta, said during a recent speaking engagement at Paine College in Augusta. “My father was an extremely humble man. He rode around in the city. He didn’t have a chauffeur. Our father taught us to be humble, to serve others in everything you do.”
Another daughter, Deanna Brown Thomas, still lives in the Augusta area. She is president of the James Brown Family Children Foundation. It organizes annual toy and turkey giveaways and operates programs including J.A.M.P. (James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils), where young people learn to play and perform.
“Dad never forgot where he came from,” Thomas said during an interview.
Augusta is an easy drive from Atlanta. Point your car east on I-20 and, depending on traffic and roadwork, you’re there in two hours and change. After you see “Get on Up,” you might want to get on over. Here are a few ideas for James Brown fans interested in the history of the Godfather of Soul.
The Augusta Museum of History. The location of the premiere party following an advance screening of "Get on Up" where attendees included director Tate Taylor and star Chadwick Boseman, it's home to a trove of James Brown memorabilia on loan from his estate. Items include costumes, vintage posters and albums, Brown's 1986 Grammy Award for "Living in America," his honorary doctorate from Paine College, bestowed posthumously in 2006, concert footage and family photos. The exhibit also includes interactive kiosks where fans can mix their own musical creations or listen to interviews with Brown associates including Dan Aykroyd and Smokey Robinson.
Address: 560 Reynolds St., 706-722-8454, www.augustamuseum.org. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Call for holiday and Masters Week hours. Admission: $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children 6-18 and free for children younger than 6.
The James Brown Arena. The arena, at 601 Seventh St., hosted more than 8,000 mourners, including Michael Jackson, M.C. Hammer, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, at a lively memorial service after Brown's death. Upcoming events include the Augusta Summer Jam featuring Lil Boosie at 8 p.m. Aug. 9. Tickets start at $59 and are available at http://bit.ly/UsaXeV or by calling 706-722-3521.
James Brown Plaza. The city of Augusta honored Brown by turning Ninth Street into James Brown Boulevard and erecting his likeness. A life-size statue of the Godfather of Soul stands in James Brown Plaza, in between Eighth and the former Ninth streets. It's a great place for photos before you have to get on back to Atlanta.
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