In 1939, young James Brown lives in squalor with his mother Susie and abusive father Joe in the backwoods of
Augusta, Georgia. Susie eventually abandons the family and becomes a prostitute, while Joe enlists in the Army; James' brothel-running aunt Honey becomes his legal guardian and introduces him to the
shout music at a
black church, fascinating him. Later, while fighting in a "
battle royal" boxing match in front of a white audience, he emerges victorious after imagining the
jazz band breaking into a
funk style. He spots his mother on the street one night, but she denies knowing him. James is imprisoned for stealing a suit at the age of 17 in 1949. When
Bobby Byrd and his
gospel group perform at the prison, an inspired James impresses Bobby with his singing, and Bobby's family proceeds to supervise his parole. James establishes himself as a lead singer and shifts the group's sound toward
R&B. He leads them to crash a
Little Richard show, introduces them as "
the Famous Flames", and leads them in a rousing rendition of "
Caldonia". Richard advises him to beware the "white devil". James marries Velma Warren, and they have a son, Teddy. In 1955,
Ralph Bass signs the band to
King Records and releases their first single, "
Please, Please, Please". Ben Bart, the president of New York City's
Universal Attractions Agency, becomes James' manager; he and label executive
Syd Nathan relegate the rest of the band to salaried employee status, and they quit. By 1962, James and Bobby have re-formed the band, and James finances the recording of the hugely successful
Live at the Apollo. After the show, Susie approaches him and apologizes for abandoning him; he consents to financially support her. In 1964, James upstages the up-and-coming
Rolling Stones on the
T.A.M.I. Show with his high-energy performance and dance moves. By paying young radio DJs to promote his shows, he successfully avoids
promoter fees. He divorces Velma and marries Deidre Jenkins, but becomes abusive toward her. Despite mistreating his new backing band members, fining them for various infractions, calling rehearsals on their days off, and berating them for questioning him, he develops a signature
groove that becomes the foundation for funk. Upon the commencement of the weeklong
King-assassination riots in April 1968, James cautions Boston mayor
Kevin White against cancelling his show at the
Boston Garden. Confronted with rising tensions between the police and the black audience, he calmly pleas for togetherness. He records "
Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" with a children's choir and implores President
Lyndon B. Johnson to approve a series of
USO shows for American troops stationed in Vietnam. Though their plane is nearly shot down en route, the band survives and their subsequent performances that June are well-received. Over time, several setbacks occur for James; Ben perishes from a sudden heart attack that August, and several businesses that James has established are investigated by the
IRS for
back taxes. When James rejects a list of demands from his band members, all of them quit except for Bobby, who assists him in assembling a new ensemble. After a 1971 concert in Paris, Bobby proposes doing a second solo album, which James considers a betrayal; Bobby parts ways with him following an argument. While drugged on
marijuana and
PCP in 1988, James visits one of his businesses in an Augusta strip mall he owns, finding that someone from a neighboring seminar has used his private restroom without his consent. He confronts the seminar carrying a shotgun, which he accidentally fires into the ceiling before forgiving the offender and escaping in his truck. After crashing through a roadblock, he is apprehended and imprisoned by the police. In 1993, James encounters Bobby for the first time in 20 years and invites him to his upcoming concert at
Atlanta's
Omni Coliseum. Walking through a darkened hall, he reflects on how much he has sacrificed for success and imagines people from throughout his life chanting his name. Seeing Bobby and his wife
Vicki Anderson in the audience, he performs "
Try Me" onstage, moving them to tears, and the audience erupts into cheers. ==Cast==