He Said It Loud

"The Night James Brown Saved Boston" recounts how the Godfather of Soul helped stave off a riot after Martin Luther King's assassination. (By Bob Dean -- Boston Globe)

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YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

The crowd goes with him. They love him. Here come the horns, the music. But it teetered, the whole thing, the whole night, everything.

Later, Brown went to Vietnam to entertain troops, got cozy with politicians. People in the movement worried. "People starting calling him Sold Brother No. 1," remembers Marva Whitney, a backup singer.

What did James Brown do with that, man?

Wrote "Say It Loud." You know the next line.

Anthem. Cultural statement. Babybabybaby. ImBlackandImProud. You had to be there, that night in Boston. You had to see it, that James Brown, that swinging cat, holding America together for just one more night.

The Night James Brown Saved Boston (one hour) airs tonight at 9 on VH1.

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