Public viewing, funeral set for soul singer James Brown

The public will get one last chance to see James Brown, as his body is brought to rest on the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, the same stage where he made his debut.

Brown, 73, the "Godfather of Soul" anda musical influence on funk, rap and dance music, died of congestive heart failure on Monday.

The public viewing on Thursday will be followed by a private funeral Friday in Augusta, Ga., Brown's hometown.

A second public ceremony will be held in the James Brown Arena in Augusta on Saturday, with Rev. Al Sharpton, a prominent black leader and friend of Brown, officiating.hi

On Wednesday, director Spike Lee announced he had signed a deal with Paramount Pictures to make a movie about Brown's life.

The biopic project is under development by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind.

In 1992, Lee directed another movie about a black American icon, Malcolm X. He expects to make the James Brown movie for release in 2008.

Brown, an energetic performer who is said to have inspired such diverse musicians as Mick Jagger, Snoop Dog and David Bowie, had contributed to the script before his death.

Brown overcame a life of adversity to become an international star and a performer known for his dynamism and musical innovation.

'Mr. Dynamite'

A fevered performer often called "Mr. Dynamite" and "the hardest working man in show business," he began his career in a gospel group in the 1950s, became known for rhythm and blues in the 1960s and made the transition to funk and dance music later in his career.

His hits included I Got You (I Feel Good), Please, Please, Please, Make it Funky and Night Train, but he had a repertoire of more than 800 songs.

He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (best R&B recording) and for Living In America in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.)

On Tuesday, U.S. President George W. Bush hailed him as an "American original" and tributes poured in from Jagger and others.

Mourners filed past his statue in Augusta, leaving flowers and mementos. The statue was draped in an American flag and a red scarf.

Thousands more are expected to pay their respects Thursday at the Apollo, a legendary Harlem club that hosted talent such as Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Harry Belafonte.

Brown made his debut there in the 1950s and appeared there many times, recording his album Live at the Apollo in 1962.

"His greatest thrill was always the lines around the Apollo Theater," Sharpton said.

"I felt that James Brown in all the years we talked would have wanted one last opportunity to let the people say goodbye to him and he to the people."

Sharpton said Brown was aware of his place in history and would welcome a public event to honour his life and contributions to music.

"He used to tell me, 'There are two American originals, Elvis and me,' "Sharpton said. " 'Elvis is gone, and I've got to carry on.' "

Brown is also notable for his role in the black power movement,expressed in the hit songSay It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud.

Hestepped up to the microphone in the hours after Rev. Martin Luther King's assassination and told gathering crowds of angry people to go home.

"And they went home," Sharpton recalled, saying he had reminisced about that moment with Brown's family, which includes five children.

"For them to riot for a man who lived a life of peace would send the wrong message. He always said he was surprised and humbled that he had that influence."