Many people helped deliver long-deserved Brown statue

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in the creation of the James Brown statue. Our dedication event May 6 was an overwhelming success, and Mr. Brown has expressed many times since then his appreciation for this generous gesture on behalf of the city.

The statue had been my shared vision with Mr. Brown for a number of years. My collaboration with Dr. John Savage, the sculptor, made the creative side of the project feasible. The relationships with more than a dozen businesses and individuals made the project possible.

I WOULD LIKE to publicly thank everyone who contributed financially to this magnificent work of public art:

- The Augusta Downtown Development Authority;

- Usher, and Fast Pace, Inc.;

- Mr. and Mrs. David G. Cannon;

- The Augusta Chronicle, William S. Morris III and Don Bailey;

- The Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Barry White;

- Augusta Blueprint, and James Kendrick;

- Augusta Coca-Cola Bottling Co., and Gerald Shumpert;

- Atlanta Gas Light Company, and Robert Chapin;

- Comcast, and Bill Botham;

- First Bank of Georgia, and Patrick G. Blanchard

- The CSRA Community Foundation;

- Clear Channel Radio Augusta, and Barry Kaye;

- Wyatt Cheek Management;

- WFXG-TV (Channel 54), and Paul Brewer;

- Doctors Hospital, and C. Shayne George.

DESPITE THE well-publicized issues in his personal life, Mr. Brown remains an icon in entertainment. His contributions to music and entertainment have reached legendary stature. Augusta's statue will be here to celebrate those professional achievements long after all of us are gone.

The installation of the statue is just the beginning. New landscaping, accent lighting and other amenities are planned. Also, in the coming weeks we will install a dedication plaque, which will recount Mr. Brown's career in the following words:

"Singer, songwriter, musician and one-of-a-kind performer, James Brown has thrilled millions around the world with his hit recordings and electrifying performances. The 1983 Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee, 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and 2003 Kennedy Center honoree has called Augusta home since moving here when he was 5. It was in Augusta's Lenox Theatre that he first received recognition for his talent by winning an amateur contest. His songs have enriched the world, and his personality and generosity have enriched this city."

James Brown loves Augusta. He continues to proclaim that connection every opportunity he gets, no matter where in the world he is at the time. And when he is in Augusta, he always is among us. Whether he's dining in a local restaurant or giving away turkeys to the poor at Thanksgiving, Mr. Brown is a man of the people.

JUST AS Mr. Brown is among us, I want the statue to be accessible. It is deliberately installed at ground level, so that visitors can stand with Mr. Brown, share the microphone, drape the cape and get a sense of the magic that is the Godfather of Soul.

Tourists looking for a "James Brown experience" now have more than just a street sign to attract them. Soon, the Augusta Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau will publish a James Brown brochure.

Later, maybe the James Brown Museum and the James Brown Music Festival will take root. Certainly, the seeds are now planted.

(Editor's note: The writer is mayor of Augusta. He has resigned, effective June 20, to assume the position of regional director of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department in Atlanta.)