Hit me!

Yes, that's what we heard the "Godfather of Soul" say as he began to groove to one of his mighty songs.

Who knew? Who knew that before the year 2006 was ended the world would lose James Brown, the mighty warrior from Georgia who, as far as I'm concerned, put the word boogie on the map.

In spite of the fact that we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am of the opinion that also celebrating both the life and legacy of this musical giant would epitomize King's wishes that black folks, like white folks would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Now, for those who choose to recall that in the legacy that is unique to James Brown, we have the good, the bad and the ugly, I would submit to you that such is the legacy of every member of the human family.

Like Dr. King, Brown was born in Georgia. Unlike Dr. King, Brown was not part of the Black intelligentsia, but was noted for his raw, in-your-face, funky music that made those 25 cent Friday night socials worth while.

Both men rose to great heights—one as a drum major for justice. The other as a foot-stompin' musical butt-kickin' genius who loved his people and never made excuses for his impoverished beginnings.

When Dr. King was assassinated, it was Brown's nationwide televised impassioned plea that kept impulsive "brothers" and "sisters" from turning America into a chaotic tinder box.

King was born to college trained parents who nurtured him to become the man that he was. The school of hard knocks seemed to be Brown's greatest teacher. Most importantly, he learned, then turned around and taught others like the Rev. Alford Sharpton and many of the rap and hip hop artists who shamelessly stole by sampling his music without compensating the maestro.

But he kept gettin' up on the good foot. Brown was about business. There were no conferences back then to teach him about being an entrepreneur. But through sheer grit and wise investments, he became the owner-operator of radio stations and soul food restaurants and owned his own master tapes.

So at the age of 73 it all came to a crashing halt for this extraordinary man. King, however, didn't live beyond his 30s. No matter. Both have left an indelible mark in the annals of the human family worldwide that will never be erased.

For this we are grateful. We all will leave the planet one day and it would behoove us to decide just what we intend to do with this precious gift called life that God Himself has given.

You can bemoan the fact that you don't have this or that. Or, you can do what James Brown and Dr. King did...”use whatcha got…” and make your life what you want.

The choice is yours. Send your comments to: t_nance@hotmail.com