May 19, 2013
November 21, 2005
Monday’s weather didn’t keep singer James Brown from hosting his annual Turkey Giveaway. During the giveaway, we learned more about his plans for his upcoming music festival. News 12 was there as the Godfather of Soul talked turkey and tunes.
Rain couldn’t dim the music at Dyess Park. The hundreds waiting for a visit from James Brown used it to liven up the line.
“I’m out here to meet James Brown, shake his hand, thank him for the gift that he’s given us all,” said Fannie Davis.
Soon another toe was tapping and the Godfather of Soul joined in the fun.
After his serenade, James Brown handed out hundreds of turkeys.
But James Brown didn’t just serve up turkeys. He also dished up his endorsement for his music festival with the theme Embrace the Race.
“There’s only one race, the human race, and that’s what we’re trying to do to bring people together,” Brown said.
Celebrities scheduled to attend include Usher, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis and P Diddy. But there’s no guarantee they’ll be here.
“Nobody knows, sometimes they don’t show up for their own concerts. We really don’t know,” said Champ Walker.
50,000 people are expected at the festival. James Brown is confident this will liven up people way beyond Dyess Park.
“The city of Augusta needs that kind of traffic, they need the economy to be a little more stable and see how beautiful Augusta is,” Brown said.
From turkeys to tourists, James Brown is giving many Augustans something to sing about.
The James Brown Music Festival was scheduled for the week before the 2006 Masters Tournament. Concerns over having two major events back-to-back mean the festival will take place sometime in May.
