HIS 105 James Brown

In his 1986 autobiography James Brown: The Godfather of Soul, the singer recalled the tensions within the Civil Rights Movement of the time:

Martin was trying to keep things going in a nonviolent way, and Stokely and them were starting to talk about Black Power—and upsetting a whole lot of people with it, too … Black Power meant different things to different people, see. To some people it meant black pride and black people owning businesses and having a voice in politics. That’s what it meant to me … I wanted to see people free, but I didn’t see any reason for us to kill each other.

Don't Be A Dropout, live, 1966

Brown supported Nixon based on their shared enthusiasm for individualist policies and the notion that hard work, and hard work alone, would be the key to success for black Americans. In a statement made in the wake of Dr. King’s death, Brown expounded upon his “up by your bootstraps” philosophy:

You know, in Augusta, Georgia I used to shine shoes on the steps of a radio station… I think we started at three cents, then we went to five and six. Never did get to a dime. But today, I own that radio station. You know what that is? That’s Black Power… It’s in knowing what you’re talking about, being ready.

Brown would speak of this philosophy frequently, and he even incorporated it into his music, as he did in the song “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself).” The singer admitted that his Nixon support “cost [him] in a lot of ways,” though he never regretted his decision.

1969

Endorse Nixon 1972