Thousands File Past Body Of the ‘Godfather of Soul'

With boom boxes blasting soul tunes and tales of a man who touched innumerable lives, thousands lined up at the Apollo Theater in Harlem yesterday to memorialize music legend James Brown.

Amid shouts and tears, Brown's casket arrived at the 126th Street venue at about 1 p.m. drawn by two white horses. Gatherers chanted "James Brown, James Brown" as the shiny gold casket containing the late singer was ushered through the front doors of the Apollo Theater, where the "Godfather of Soul" made his stage debut in 1956.

The line of mourners waiting to get a glimpse of the body extended for three city blocks.

Inside, fans slowly filed past the open casket of Brown, whose body was dressed in a blue suit, white gloves, and silver shoes. Next to the casket was a flower arrangement that spelled out "Godfather."

The body arrived in the city yesterday after an all-night drive from Brown's home state of Georgia, where the singer and activist died of heart failure on Christmas Day at age 73.

For many of the fans who gathered to pay tribute to Brown, it wasn't solely about the death of an influential musician, but rather the celebration of a man who touched many generations with his message.

Beryl Brown of St. Albans, who met Brown as a young girl after he invited her and friends into his Queens home as they were mulling outside the gates, reminisced about his legacy.

"After Martin Luther King Jr. died and Detroit was burning, James Brown influenced African Americans to stay the path and avoid violence," she said. "He gave us hope."

Fans began gathering outside the Apollo Theater well before Brown's body arrived. Standing at the front of the line, Brenda Harper, 53, of Harlem, said she arrived with her son a little before midnight on Wednesday.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a close friend of Brown's, addressed friends and family at the Apollo Theater at 6 p.m.

Brown was booked to play a show at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square on New Year's Eve.