James Brown to the rescue?

Among the television programs shown in connection with the anniversary of the assassination of MLK was presentation on VH1 of the documentary “The Night James Brown Saved Boston.” Brown had been scheduled to do a concert in the Boston Garden on April 5. With anger generated by Dr. King’s death being expressed violently in several cities around the country, perhaps most notably in Washington, DC, there were calls in Boston to call off the concert. Instead, and the documentary provides fascinating details about the decisions and negotiations involved, the concert took place and was televised by WGBH Channel 2, one of the premier stations in what was then called “educational tv.” The broadcast, watched by many thousands in their homes … and therefore not on the streets … was credited with reducing violence in Boston to a significant degree.

I remember being among those watching the telecast of the concert at the Tam, more formally the Tam O’Shanter Lounge on Beacon Street. That experience, juxtaposed with the shock of the King assassination, of course, stuck with me. At the same time, I was surprised to hear in the documentary, as I did not remember it from seeing the telecast originally, the mellifluous, patrician voice of the Channel 2 announcer say, “Stay tuned for the concert by Negro singer Jimmy Brown and his group at Boston Garden.” Kevin White, then mayor of Boston and an old guy (38!), says in the documentary that he had no idea at the time who James Brown was. I guess the Channel 2 announcer was similarly unfamiliar with the “hardest-working man in show business” and Soul Brother #1.

I recommend the documentary to you. It really helps bring back the days.