James Brown

Brown in 2005, photo credit: stoneflower

Birth Name: James Joseph Brown, Jr.

Date of Birth: May 3, 1933

Place of Birth: Barnwell, South Carolina, U.S.

Date of Death: December 25, 2006

Place of Death: Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia, U.S.

Ethnicity: African-American

James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer, and bandleader. He was known as “The Godfather of Soul.”

James was the son of Susie (Behling) and Joseph Gardner “Joe”/Pop Brown. His parents were both African-American. His mother was from Colleton County. James had at least nine children. He was married to Velma Warren, Deidre “Deedee” Jenkins, Adrienne Lois Rodriguez (until her death), and to singer Tomi Rae Hynie.

James had stated that his paternal grandfather was “pure Indian, a Cherokee,” and that his mother’s ancestry had a “strong Asian element and some American Indian.” James had also said that his maternal grandfather was “highly Asian,” and that his maternal grandmother’s mother was “almost a full-blooded American Indian.” It is not clear if these claims of Native American and Asian ancestry have been verified/documented.

James had said that his father was born under the name Joe Gardner, and later took on the surname Brown, after a woman who had helped raise him, Mattie Brown. James’s paternal grandfather was also reported as Henry Brown (the son of James Brown and Diane Hutto). Henry was born in Barnwell County, South Carolina, to parents who were also born there.

James’s maternal grandfather was named Monroe “Monnie”/Mony Behling (the son of Stephen Behling and Sarah). Monnie was born in South Carolina. Stephen was born in Colleton County, South Carolina, the son of Moses Behling and Charlotte Williams.

James’s maternal grandmother was Rebecca “Becca” Bryant (the daughter of Perry Bryant and Susan Carter). Rebecca was born in South Carolina.

Sources: Genealogies of James Brown – http://genealogy.about.com
https://www.findagrave.com

Genealogy of James Brown (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.wikitree.com

James’s statements about his ancestry – http://www.worldcat.org