It’s time to pull out your old vinyl (78s, 45s or 33s) and bring them to Lemuria.

Lemuria is very excited to celebrate James Brown Friday, June 29th at 5:00 at our Dot Com Building. We want to encourage all fans and especially James Brown friends to attend. We welcome any stories or tall tales you want to share.

R. J. Smith has written the definitive biography of James Brown, and we want to celebrate The One. I have been working for six months against ridiculous odds to bring R. J. to Jackson. I’ve never met R. J. but for an author to write such a good book, he must be fun. Here’s a little insight into his journey while writing The One:

“During the three years of researching and writing this book, I crawled around a South Carolina cemetery as it sank into the swamps, reading tombstones in the dark with my hands. I got run off the road by an eighteen wheeler near Macon, caught pneumonia twice, and lost my job.”

-R. J. Smith

R. J.’s research is extensive and his work is presented with great care and insight.

Lemuria is taking this opportunity to put together an afternoon of God Father celebration. We want to hear your stories as we hear R. J.’s and we want to see your old vinyl. I’ve gone through my collection and found a few.

And of course bring your old vinyl and receive free beer.

Not only would it be fun to share records but we’d also love to hear your stories. We know a few folks in Jackson who have known James Brown personally and we can’t wait to hear your tales of encounter. We welcome any personalizations and autographs, old photos with the King of Soul or just anything you want to throw in the pot for fun.

It’s rumored that Lee “of Jackson Royalty” King will show up with his first hand accounts and his own style of soul. Lee is welcome to be the evening’s MC and DJ.

Darden, of BeBop Fame, won the prize with his “Bobby Keys event” collection, at Bobby’s party. I wonder what spins Darden will bring? The oldest record gets two beers.

Is there a James Brown impersonator out there that’s willing to show up? We welcome all ideas for fun. Tell your friends and I suggest reading The One in advance if you can.

Dig out your old vinyl, start listening to your King again and plan to show up for a fun Friday afternoon for James Brown with R. J. Smith.

The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by R. J. Smith

(Gotham Books, March 2012)

The One is also our First Editions Club Pick for July.

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