James Brown will be part of the inaugural Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta June 17, and his daughter, Deanna Brown Thomas will be there.
“If he was with us, Dad would probably have some fun with ‘I Feel Good,’ but I know he’d be very humbled by it,” said Thomas.
The walk of fame was announced in October 2020, and Thomas said details about what the physical marker will look like have been limited. She said she’ll be surprised just like everyone else.
It will be located on the sidewalks of Martin Luther King Jr. and Northside Drives in Atlanta.
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Brown is one of 12 initial inductees. Along with Quincy Jones, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, Brown is a foundational inductee. The other eight are in different categories. They include Beyonce and Usher Raymond IV, mainstream; Michael Jackson, legacy; Kirk Franklin and Shirley Caesar, gospel; Outkast and Missy Elliott, hip hop; and Sean Love Combs, mainstream mogul, according to the walk of fame website.
Thomas said having her father as part of the inaugural group of inductees is special and she is thankful to have his legacy honored in this way.
“My dad’s songs are the most sampled pieces of music in hip hop today,” said Thomas.
While young people might know the current musician recording the song, they often don’t know the roots of the music being sampled. Tributes such as this are literally “set in stone” and are a permanent reminder of history.
Thomas said she believes it’s important for people to know where they’ve come from to help them get where they are going.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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