Although she’s listed among the producers of an upcoming A&E documentary on her late father, Deanna Brown-Thomas will get her first look at the finished product when it premieres at New York’s Apollo Theatre next month.
“I have not seen the entirety. That’s the way I like it. I like it that we have some excitement and surprises,” said Brown-Thomas, the daughter of James Brown, about the A&E documentary called “James Brown: Say it Loud” which will air on the network at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19 and Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The project began in March 2021 with much of it filmed in Augusta, said Brown-Thomas, whose own interviews were conducted at the Augusta Museum of History, where there’s an entire exhibition devoted to the Godfather of Soul.
“Say it Loud” will bring together rare footage and photos to give a glimpse into the singer’s life and career.
Brown-Thomas said her father was a complex, imperfect man, and the documentary will delve into some of those darker parts of his life as well as the high points.
“Across four hours, ‘James Brown: Say it Loud’ traces the incredible trajectory of Brown’s life and career from a seventh-grade drop-out arrested for robbery in the Jim Crow-era South to an entertainment legend whose groundbreaking talent and unique perspective catapulted him to become a cultural force whose words, songs, style and moves inspired musical revolutions and molded a nation’s view of Black Pride and Black masculinity. Consistently facing obstacles and unbelievable odds, the documentary details how Brown persevered through decades of personal demons, racial injustice, and career setbacks to find redemption and become one of, if not the, most celebrated and influential artists of the 20th century,” according to a news release.
It will feature rare footage and photos, Brown-Thomas said, adding that the material will have a “freshness to it.”
Read More: Director weaves in fabric of James Brown’s hometown in A&E documentary
It will highlight interviews with A-list stars such as Mick Jagger, who is one of the executive producers.
“Mick Jagger is such a huge fan of Dad’s,” she said. “He pretty much wants to be in everything that is done about him. It’s easy to get him to be involved when it’s about Dad. He’s already been on the team with other projects. You say ‘James Brown’ and he says, ‘What do you want?’”
Other well-known interviewees include Questlove, Bootsy Collins, LL Cool J, The Rev. Al Sharpton, Chuck D, Dallas Austin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
In addition to Brown-Thomas, her siblings Dr. Yamma Brown and Larry Brown are part of the project, and there will be many local faces familiar to Augustans. Since she hasn’t seen the final product, she doesn’t know which interviews made the final cut.
At the center of the documentary is the Black experience. One of the reasons Brown-Thomas isn’t worried about how the finished work turned out is that she has confidence in its director.
“The prize for me for this documentary is that one of my sorority sisters from Alpha Kappa Alpha…Deborah Riley Draper is the director,” she said. “She’s from Savannah and out of Atlanta now. I’m just so thankful, honestly, to see a young Black woman helm this. I say that because It’s important that if people want to know true Black culture, what it truly is – that means someone that’s born in that culture, from that culture, lives that culture – is the one who gives you the feel of what you need to feel.”
Not only will the two-night documentary shed light on the singer and Black culture, but it will spotlight the city he loved and called home.
“Whenever Dad is highlighted so well, it brings even more love to Augusta. I expect more eyes on Augusta, and it will linger on for a while,” she said.
There’s a lot of B-roll footage around the city, she said, as well as spotlights on James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils which brings a smile to Brown-Thomas’s face.
“It’s going to be exciting for me. As a mama bear, it’s always great to see your baby bears praised,” said Brown-Thomas, JAMP founder.
And if the documentary sparks more interest in the Hardest Working Man in show business, Brown-Thomas said there’s a year-round experience that will take people to Brown’s familiar Augusta haunts.
The James Brown Family Historical Tours are from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. each Saturday. They start at the Augusta Museum of History. For more information, go here.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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