Michael Brown, son of the late James Brown, begins to set the record straight

As Michael Deon Brown, lifelong resident of Sacramento, and son to Mary Florence Brown and late, great, self-appointed "Godfather of Soul", James Brown, I am contesting the assertion that James Brown, had only 6 (six) living children. My father challenged and denied my paternity, but ultimately the truth prevailed.

Despite the battles that would be waged later over my paternity, I believe I had a blessed beginning, I was conceived on my beloved Boo-Boo's (my maternal grandmother) birthday: January 3, 1968. I was born in September, 1968, to Mary Florence Brown, Sacramento, CA, and the late, James Brown. From the time I was old enough to know who my father was, I (Michael Deon Brown) worshipped and idolized this man, and I was very proud to be James Brown's son.

And while this man, a man who liked to assign honors to himself, the one honor he cannot bestow upon himself, is that of loving and responsible father to ALL of his children.

I am familiar with another James Brown, the one unknown to the world, a man full of contradictions, and like most artists, possessed an enigmatic personality; however, being an enigma allowed him to share his talent and bring joy to millions, but I, as one of his own children, missed out that "James Brown". I never personally experienced the joy this man shared with the world. As one of his own children, an honor James Brown repeatedly attempted to deny me, I can only attest to the hate and spite that also existed in James Brown's life.

When my dear mother (Mary F. Brown) and loyal devotee to my father, she was after all, founder and president of Sacramento's chapter of the James Brown Fan Club, challenged James Brown in court, to prove my paternity, he waged a war to end all wars, in order to disavow my existence as one of his own, his child, his heir.

When challenged again in 1983, he again attempted to deny my existence, but in the end plead "No Contest".

However, his consistent denial has subjected me to life as the "bastard" child of James Brown, he ruined the life of his own seed by depriving me of love and respect, as well as being a member of my own family.

The record should be set straight. Through all of this, I have never known the great man as heralded to the world. He was an excellent musician and freely gave of his talents, and he has even been praised for for feeding the poor, yet he has denied me, his own flesh and blood, and in his death, he continues to deny me, Michael Deon Brown, by stating he had only 6 (six) living children.

You can verify my contention that I am James Brown's son, by accessing the internet and searching for both James Brown and my mother, Mary Florence Brown, and the court cases filed here in Sacramento with respect to my paternity, which were decided in 1969 and 1983, respectively.

Please feel free to comment here and share your thoughts, or you may write me directly:

Michael Brown #P69851
PO Box 600-DVI
Tracy, CA 95378-0600