Early+Life

James brown was the offspring of Susie and Joeseph James Gardner (who changed his last name to Brown after Mattie Brown who raised him) in the tiny town of Barnwell, South Carolina during the depression era. Although Brown was to be named after his father, his name was mistakenly reversed on his birth certificate, and instead became James Joeseph Brown. As a young child, Brown was called Junior, but when he later lived with his aunt and cousin, he was called little junior since his cousin's nickname was also Junior. When Brown was two years old, his parents separated after his mother left his father for another man. After his mother abandoned the family, Brown continued to live with his father and his live-in girlfriends until he was six years old. After that time, Brown and his father moved to Augusta, Georgia.

During his childhood he earned money in several different ways including shoe shining, sweeping out stores, selling and tradeing in old stamps, washing dishes and cars.He also sang in talent competitions. During the World War II time peiod he had also danced to entertain the troops. Between the entertainment and the money making, James learned how to play the harmonica which was given to him by his father. He learned some guitar from Tampa Red who was actually dating one of the females from his aunts house.

In his spare time however, he would practice his various skills in Augusta-area stalls and also sadly commiting petty crimes. At the age of sixteen Brown was caught and convicted of armed robbery and was sent to juvneile detention center in Toccoa in 1949. While in reform school Brown had befriended Bobby Byrd who first saw James perform in prison.Byrd admired James's singing abilities. Also Byrd's family helped Brown get an early release after a three year sentence. The authorities agreed to set him free only on one condition. That he move back to Augusta and get a job.

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