The Augusta Museum of History is planning a big bash for James Brown's birthday.

The museum officially announced that Payback (celebrate James Brown), a festival-style concert honoring the singer, will take place May 3 at Augusta Common. A long-term museum exhibition, titled The Godfather of Soul: Mr. James Brown and scheduled to run through 2011, will open the same day.

As of now, few details are available. Funding is still being sought from local and state governments, corporate sponsors and private donors, and artifacts are still being sought for the exhibition. The only act confirmed is the Soul Generals, Mr. Brown's backing band.

The budget for both the concert and the museum exhibition is about $300,000.

During the news conference, Nancy Glaser, the executive director of the Augusta Museum of History, said that all the pieces were not yet in place but that response to the event has been positive. She said several acts were on the verge of confirming and that the museum exhibition will incorporate artifacts, footage and, of course, music.

"Think of it as a combination of Disney and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," she said. "That's what he deserves."

The museum is working closely with the Brown family on both the concert and the exhibition. Ms. Glaser said proceeding without their support would have been impossible. One of the things both the family and the museum agreed on from the outset was that the concert and exhibition should be affordable and accessible. She said the ticket price will be $30 and include admission to both the concert and the exhibition.

Roger Smith, the chairman of the museum's James Brown project committee, said the goal is to produce an annual large-scale event that not only pays tribute to James Brown but also increases tourism revenue in the Augusta area. He said the event would be promoted internationally.

"The potential economic impact could be large," he said. "The Elvis Presley museum in Memphis sees 600,000 people a year. I'm not saying that's what will happen here, but if it did that would be a real impact."

The museum is planning for an event that would attract several thousand fans. Ms. Glaser said that if the numbers exceed 10,000, the event could be moved, perhaps to the Augusta Golf and Gardens site, or a second stage might be set up at another location.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.