While in Columbus, icon James Brown made a decision that would change his life forever
Fifty-two years ago this month, music icon James Brown made a decision in Columbus that would change his life forever.
The Godfather of Soul came to town for a concert in March 1970. Shortly before the performance, he fired his band and replaced them with a young cover band called the Pacemakers and led by Cincinnati brothers Bootsy and Catfish Collins, according to Songfacts.com.
On the night the Cincinnati band got the call to the big leagues, they had a gig in a small hometown venue called The Winebar and had made just $14 for that night’s performance.
“We were performing a benefit and we got a call from Bobby Byrd (Brown’s manager). ‘I’m coming up there on a plane, on James’ learjet, and I’m going to pick y’all up in 45 minutes,’” Bootsy told Red Bull Music Academy. “We thought it was a joke.”
When they arrived at the Columbus arena, they were greeted by a hostile group of fans, angry that Brown had fired his bandmates. Bootsy said it felt like crossing a picket line of some of their friends and heroes.
“We didn’t know what we were walking into; all we knew was we were playing with James Brown,” said Bootsy, who was 18 years old at the time. “We had no idea that he really wanted us to play behind him.”
James was late to the performance and the audience blamed his new band for the delay.
Once they made it through the show, Brown informed the Pacemakers that they would be his backup and be called “The JB’s.” The new band embraced Brown’s vision and were at the heart of Brown’s new funk sound.
“It was crazy, so crazy in a good way,” Bootsy said. “We took our original energy and groove and he took that, put it into what he was doing and bam! There it is.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
