Kill 'Em and Leave

Author James McBride begins his search for the real James Brown at the singer’s statue in Augusta, Georgia. He establishes the book’s central conflict: ten years after James Brown’s death in 2006, the estimated $100 million he left to educate poor children in South Carolina and Georgia has been consumed by legal battles involving an estimated ninety lawyers and forty-seven lawsuits, with not a single dollar reaching a child. McBride contrasts the official, sanitized memory of Brown in Augusta with the living, breathing legacy he senses in Barnwell County, South Carolina, Brown’s birthplace. There, he encounters a deep, unspoken racial tension, a silent “buzz” he believes is key to understanding Brown’s life and art. A local man warns him to “watch yourself out here,” foreshadowing the complexities of the investigation.

McBride recalls his own childhood fascination with Brown, whose mysterious house was near his home in Queens, New York. A pivotal memory is of his sister, Dotty, who knocked on Brown’s door and was told by the singer to “Stay in school.” This anecdote highlights Brown’s cultural status as a role model. McBride posits that Brown’s Southern upbringing in a “land of masks” made him intensely private and that a deep-seated fear of the white establishment drove much of his behavior. McBride then critiques existing portrayals of Brown, focusing on the 2014 biopic Get On Up, which he argues is mostly fiction. He debunks a key scene about a 1988 shotgun incident, explaining that in reality, a drug-addled and professionally declining Brown was desperately trying to visit his hospitalized father. He notes the film, co-produced by Mick Jagger, whom Brown disliked, also misrepresents Brown’s parents.

McBride frames Brown’s paranoia and chaotic business practices within the larger history of the exploitation of Black musicians, a context he deems essential for understanding the legal battles that would later consume the singer’s estate. He provides a brief, conventional biography of Brown, noting the singer’s tendency to invent his own history, such as claiming Indian and Asian ancestry. This public persona is contrasted with his private generosity toward his community. He travels to Barnwell County and, through a distant cousin named Edgar Brown, meets a direct cousin, CR Gaines, who promises to reveal the true family history.

In a dilapidated shack, CR Gaines details the paternal family history that James Brown kept hidden. Brown’s father, Joe, was raised in an extended sharecropping family, the Gaines-Scott clan, in Ellenton, South Carolina. The family’s history is traced back to an ancestor, Oscar Gaines, who escaped a Georgia chain gang by feigning an inability to swim before swimming across the Savannah River to freedom. This family, including the women Brown called Aunt Honey and Doll Baby, was displaced in 1951 when the U.S. government forced the evacuation of 8,000 residents from Ellenton and five surrounding towns to build the Savannah River Nuclear Site. This traumatic event scattered Brown’s family and destroyed their community, which McBride identifies as the root of Brown’s lifelong paranoia and his distrust of banks and the government.

McBride then explores Brown’s key relationships, starting with his lifelong best friend, Leon Austin. They met as eight-year-old boys in Augusta, and Leon introduced Brown to the influential music of the United House of Prayer. Calling each other “Bro,” they remained inseparable, and Leon’s home was a lifelong sanctuary for Brown. In Brown’s later years, Leon was one of the few people who could calm his personal turmoil. McBride also interviews Velma Brown, the singer’s first wife, in Toccoa, Georgia. She recounts their early life together after Brown’s release from juvenile prison and their marriage in 1953. Their relationship ended as Brown’s fame grew, but they remained close friends. Velma identifies the 1973 death of their son, Teddy, in a car accident as a devastating turning point for them both. At Teddy’s funeral, a grief-stricken Brown collapsed, unable to walk into the church.

In Toccoa, McBride interviews Nafloyd Scott, the last living original member of the Famous Flames from an early band photograph. Scott describes the group’s formation in the 1950s, their grueling tours on the “chitlin circuit,” and the moment their manager revealed new placards reading “James Brown and the Famous Flames,” cementing Brown’s status as the frontman. Scott left the band in 1957 but remained on good terms with Brown. Another crucial relationship was with Reverend Al Sharpton, who met Brown as a teenager. Brown became a father figure, mentoring Sharpton for fifteen years and teaching him his philosophy of power and presentation, summed up as, “Kill ’em and leave.” Sharpton remained loyal through Brown’s career decline and imprisonment.

As Brown’s career faltered in the 1980s, he hired accountant David Cannon and attorney Buddy Dallas to manage his affairs. At the time, Brown owed the IRS $15 million. Cannon and Dallas restored his financial solvency, earning his deep trust. Cannon describes Brown’s habit of hiding cash, including storing large sums in Cannon’s home safe. This arrangement later becomes the basis for legal attacks against Cannon. McBride also interviews Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, Brown’s musical director from 1965 to 1969 and a primary architect of his signature funk sound. Ellis describes the brilliance of Brown’s band during this era, but also the mistreatment and cruelty that led him to quit in 1969.

The narrative then focuses on the legal battle over Brown’s estate. His 2000 will established the “I Feel Good Trust” to educate poor children, naming Cannon, Dallas, and Albert “Judge” Bradley as trustees. After Brown’s death, lawsuits from some of his children and his fourth wife, Tomi Rae Hynie, alleged “undue influence.” Hynie’s status as his legal wife was a central dispute. Cannon becomes the primary target, accused of stealing $350,000 he claims Brown gave him. Worn down by legal attacks and personal tragedy, Cannon, without admitting guilt, pleads guilty to contempt of court, ruining his finances and reputation. McBride interviews Charles Bobbit, Brown’s personal manager for 41 years, who was with Brown when he died on Christmas Day, 2006. Bobbit reveals Brown predicted the legal “mess” and intentionally left him out of the trust to protect him.

McBride profiles Sue Summer, a journalist for the Newberry Observer, who has tenaciously investigated the legal morass, exposing political cronyism in South Carolina. For her reporting, she has faced subpoenas and the threat of jail. He also speaks with Emma Austin, Leon Austin’s wife, whom Brown called “Sis.” She offers insight into Brown’s profound loneliness and confirms his primary wish was for his money to fund education, not charity. Funeral director Charles Reid recounts the events after Brown’s death, including an all-night drive with Al Sharpton to bring Brown’s body to the Apollo Theater for a memorial on December 28. The chapter culminates with Michael Jackson’s private, five-hour viewing of Brown’s body, a poignant meeting of two misunderstood musical kings.

The summary concludes with James Brown’s grandson, William Forlando Brown, known as “Flip.” A promising golfer, William embodies the dream of hard work and integrity his grandfather championed. He and his father, Terry, have refused to join the lawsuits against the estate, rejecting a $2 million settlement offer in 2015 and insisting Brown’s wishes be honored. In the epilogue, McBride connects Brown’s legacy to a music program he started for children in his Brooklyn neighborhood. During a music history quiz, the children instantly recognize James Brown’s music, affirming his enduring power to inspire future generations.