Musician James Brown believed in high-level performances and fighting against social injustice. Today, a publishing company that controls Brown’s estate is making sure that his legacy remains intact.
The Plan to Preserve James Brown’s Legacy
“We want people to be able to come and peek behind the curtain of James Brown’s home and have a space with some creative and educational opportunities, too, because education was pretty important to him,” Songhay Taylor, a Primary Wave official, recently told Billboard.
Just three years after purchasing Brown’s estate, Primary Wave is partnering with Augusta, Georgia, officials to make his home a museum, much like Elvis Presley’s Graceland.
In 1982 Graceland, which had been Elvis Presley’s private residence, was opened to the public as a museum. The estate currently attracts an estimated 650,000 visitors annually. Despite a recent scandal involving a fraudulent lending company that attempted to swindle Presley’s heirs out of the estate, Graceland is the second-most visited home in the United States.
Now Primary Wave has plans on transforming Brown’s estate, with the hopes that it too, can become a regional tourist attraction. Augusta — Brown’s hometown — is located eight miles from his estate in Beech Island, South Carolina, Billboard reported. While the area does not have other attractions such as Memphis’ music scene, an annual golf tournament and a love for southern history draw visitors to the region.
“In order to create an overall immersive experience, we need the city of Augusta to help tell those stories,” Taylor shared. “Where he shoeshined, where he buck-danced, where he would do shows, where he went to church — all of those things that are part of the overall story.”
Throughout Augusta, there are reminders of James Brown’s life such as statues, murals and even references to his music. Augusta resident Kiki Cofer launched a James Brown tour featuring sites such as an exhibit in his honor at the Augusta Museum, his childhood school and the James Brown arena, a place he unveiled just two months before his death.
“Entrepreneur, self-made, proud, confident,” Bennish Brown, president/CEO of Destination Augusta, told Billboard. “A lot of Augusta’s history and progress is tied to the way James Brown lived his life: constantly innovating, evolving and always looking for opportunities that made sense.”
A Silver Lining To An Ugly Estate Battle
Known as the “Godfather of Soul,” Brown earned a reported $100 million during his career as an entertainer. Songs such as “Get Up,” “Say It Loud,” “Papa Don’t Take No Mess,” and “Living in America” were all chart toppers infusing funk, rhythm and blues.
Brown died on Christmas Day in 2006. For 15 years, Brown’s estate was in an ongoing battle that included three estate trustees, heirs fighting over assets and a Christie’s auction. Finally, in December 2021, Primary Wave purchased Brown’s estate for $90 million, according to Forbes. The company, a content firm focused on music publishing, marketing and branding strategies is known for acquiring the rights and publishing for musical legends such as Whitney Houston, Prince and Bob Marley. With Brown’s estate, Primary Wave became owner of not only his publishing, but also master-royalty income and name and likeness rights. And of course, his mansion, which included more than a dozen cars and two tour buses.
Restoring Brown’s Living Space
While very few areas in the home remain intact from when Brown was alive, there are some things that have not changed.
The 60-acre estate sits behind wrought-iron gates on James Brown Boulevard. Georgia pine trees flank the driveway and grounds of the property. An Asian garden, which was once one of Brown’s favorite sitting places, still surrounds the white mansion.
Inside the home, a grand chandelier still hangs from the ceiling. and in the living room, is a Christmas tree complete with presents that remains untouched. In the atrium, there is a sunken bar and curtained doorways. The original master of Brown’s “Get Up” and other memorabilia are sitting in a display case.
While archivists contracted by Primary Wave are documenting the space and Brown’s belongings in anticipation for the home to be transformed to a museum, there are other plans in store. According to Billboard, Primary Wave will be documenting the restoration of the estate with Page Turner, real estate agent, host of HGTV’s “Fix My Flip.”
“When we first came into this house, there were boxes everywhere,” Donna Grecco, Primary Wave’s asset manager said. “You put together a plan of how to approach it from the most delicate and respectful angle knowing that this isn’t a museum — this was somebody’s living space.”
