"James Brown: Soul Survivor" celebrates the legacy of one of the most charismatic and influential musicians of his time. James Brown's message of black pride and black power infused his music and electrified audiences the world over. He is featured on American Masters Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1.
The program includes performance footage and interviews with Brown, his closest friends, fellow performers and celebrities, including Little Richard, Al Sharpton, Dan Aykroyd and Chuck D.
"James Brown: Soul Survivor" also recalls Brown's upbringing in poverty, his call for "black power," his controversial lifestyle, his temporary but devastating fall from the spotlight in the 1970s and his powerful impact on two generations of musicians.
"It doesn't matter how you travel through life, it's still the same hard road," Brown says in an interview. "It doesn't get easier as you get bigger; in some ways it gets harder. I'd been a shoeshine boy, a jailbird and had less than a seventh-grade education. That's what drove me back then as I traveled America."
American Masters "James Brown: Soul Survivor" is a co-production of WNET/New York, Isis Productions Ltd., Channel 4 and Universal Music.
