James Brown’s final tribute a mix of joy, sorrow

updated 4:51 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2006

AUGUSTA, Ga. - More than 8,500 James Brown fans filled an arena bearing his name Saturday in a final, joyful farewell to the singer that seemed as fitting for a civil rights leader as for the godfather of soul.

For mourner Maynard Eaton, Brown was a political figure above all.

“’I’m black and I’m proud’ was the most influential black slogan of the 1960s,” he said, referring to the chorus of the Brown standard “Say It Loud.”

Brown’s body lay in front of the bandstand in a black jacket and gloves, red shirt and sequined shoes. Fans lined up in the rain before dawn to get in. When James Brown Arena was full, they gathered on the streets outside to listen to the service over a public address system.

The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and a tearful Michael Jackson were among those who took turns at the podium overlooking the casket.

“We come to thank God for James Brown, because only God could have made a James Brown possible,” said Sharpton, a longtime Brown confidant who also spoke at a boisterous ceremony Thursday at the famed Apollo Theater in New York and a private service Friday.

Michael Jackson, whose arrival sparked a roar from the crowd, bowed before the casket and shared a hug with Sharpton just as Brown’s latest backup band, the Soul Generals, started to play.

Jeff Christensen / AP Mourners wait in line to enter the James Brown Arena on Dec. 30 before the public funeral ceremony for singer James Brown in Augusta, Ga.

“James Brown is my greatest inspiration,” the pop star told mourners, adding that when he was a child, his mother would wake him, regardless of the hour, whenever Brown was on TV.

“When I saw him move, I was mesmerized,” Jackson said. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown.”

Brown died of heart failure Dec. 25 in Atlanta while hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia. He was 73.

His hits, such as “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” inspired generations of soul, funk, disco, rock and rap artists.

A day earlier, thousands of fans poured into the Apollo in Harlem for a sometimes raucous celebration of Brown at the venue where one of his trademark high-energy concerts launched him into the international spotlight in 1956.

More on James Brown R&B legend James Brown dies Remembering the Godfather of Soul Brown's final tribute mix of joy, sorrow   Images: Fans, friends say goodbye Family holds private service One last time, Brown wows the Apollo Brown's band to resume touring soon Vote: Your favorite James Brown song? James Brown’s most important hits Quotes about the singer's death Spike Lee to direct James Brown movie

“He was a God-sent person — almost like an angel,” said Vickie Greene, who saw her first Brown show more than 30 years ago and attended Saturday’s ceremony.

Brown was born in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933 and spent much of his childhood in Augusta, singing and dancing for change on street corners. At times, he committed petty crimes that landed him in reform school.

Even when he became an international superstar, Brown considered Augusta his home. The city was the site of his annual distribution of Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families. It was also the scene of a drug-fueled police chase that landed him a 15-month stint in prison.

The city named a street after Brown a decade ago and last year erected a statue of him in a downtown park. Earlier this year, the community’s main auditorium was also named in his honor.

MORE FROM R&B-SOUL

R. Kelly writes new song about Virginia Tech

R. Kelly writes new song about Virginia Tech Joss Stone ‘Introducing’ her true self Beyonce's ‘B’Day’ on DVD   Add R&B-Soul headlines to your news reader: