News 12 at 6 O'clock; March 13, 2009

ORANGEBURG, S.C. --- A museum honoring the life of James Brown is now open at South Carolina State University. We go along with Deanna Brown-Thomas for an exclusive tour.

"Every item in the museum I feel is a testament to either a struggle for him or an accomplishment for him," says Deanna.

It all starts with a huge drawing, by students, honoring the legend himself. "One of the students made this artwork (a drawing). They took the names of his songs (and drew James Brown's face)," says Deanna.

"Isn't it amazing that no matter where you go all over the world, they know James Brown," says Deanna.

If you don't know him, now you will. She stops us right away to tell a story.

"It was the last Christmas (2004) that we were all together," says Deanna. "I didn't know what to get him for Christmas. What do you get a man who has everything and what he doesn't have he can get himself. So, I made a copy of the picture (of her and James) and put it in a frame, and he loved it."

"Oh, these are my dad's favorites," says Deanna as she continues the tour with News 12. "He loved sunglasses."

"Listen to this," Deanna instructs us.

James Brown talking in a video: "You know, I save all my stuff from my uniform to my shoes."

"Everyone enjoys watching the performance videos," says Deanna. "But, I enjoy watching these video's like that. I get a tingle and I feel good and learn when I watch him talking."

James Brown talking: "I want to make a James Brown museum because I want people to know and the young kids who don't, feel they got a chance to make it, that they got a chance to make it."

Deanna continues the tour by showing News 12 music sheets from her dad. He did not go to music school. "This music sheet here has my father's picture with the name of his company, James Brown Productions, and that was pretty much unheard of for a black artist to be able to do," says Deanna.

"Dad created the one beat," she adds. "Everyone else was on the 2 and 4 beat."

Now, it's onto the many suits and clothes that are in the museum. "This is one of my favorite parts over here, you get to see all of the clothes."

She showed us the last suit he wore to the hospital in Atlanta right before he died, to the suit he wore on his last public appearance.

Then, she showed us a political wall that is in the museum. "That was really something," she says. "To let Senator Thurmond have James Brown - a black man - sitting at his chair at his desk and knowing the history of Strom Thurmond."

In between our tour, she was able to take a break and talk to some kids. One of them yelled out, "He (James Brown) went to jail for no reason!" Deanna said back, "He went to jail for no reason, I like that answer!"

After that, we went to the family section of the museum. There are pictures in that area "from the beginning to the end." There are pictures of James Brown's parents, his wives, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

In the corner of the third room, there is a "very, very, very, very, very, very, very small portion of shoes," that belonged to James Brown, Deanna told us.

"The brown boots in the collection (are my favorite)," Deanna explains. "I just like them, they were so sharp."

Just before our tour ends, she gave us one more history lesson that takes us back and puts this all into perspective.

"Those are actual slave shackles," she says. "He (James Brown kept them in his home) never wanted to forget what he once came from," says Deanna.

"There will never be another one, there will never be another one," she adds.

This museum is open to the public, Monday through Friday from 9-5 in Orangeburg. They will also open it up on the weekends, based on requests. The exhibit will be at the school until Sept. 1.