James Brown and his Money Man is the Real Story of James Brown, The Godfather Of Soul. This hilarious and heartwarming narrative is told in a casual, conversational style by his best friend, Fred Daviss – a good ol’ boy from south Georgia.
It’s not a biography of James Brown – it’s the story of two very different men working together through Brown’s four marriages and his descent and recovery from drug addiction during the racially turbulent times of the civil rights movement.
This is the definitive book about James Brown and his world – a must read book.
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Fred Daviss
Fred Daviss first met James Brown in 1962 when Fred worked in an Atlanta bank. He soon became James Brown’s Money Man and not only acted as Brown’s Executive Vice President and Comptroller but also managed his radio stations, publishing houses and advised him in the production of the films The Blues Brothers and Dr. Detroit. Fred was also the producer of Future Shock, James Brown’s weekly TV dance show and James Brown – Live at Piedmont Park, a concert video.
Over a 40-year-long friendship with Brown, Fred also developed fascinating relationships with President Nixon, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. James Brown continued to be Fred’s best friend for the rest of his life.
Because Brown performed up to 300 concerts a year, Fred was constantly by his side. Their touring and recording schedule led them around the world, and because of this deep association, they spent more time together than with their own wives and children. The stories of this relationship have never been publicized. Some are funny, some are sad – even horrifying. But they are all true, and this book will always exist as the most reliable first person story of James Brown, The Godfather of Soul.
Fred with one of Brown’s jets
Mr. Brown in his office
Fred and Mr. Brown in their Augusta office parking lot. This is where the infamous police chase began which led to Brown’s time in jail.
Brown’s bulletproof Mafia limo. His chauffeur took my girls, Kelley and Pepper, to school.
Kelley and Pepper. Mr. Brown kept their school photos in his wallet.
Dee Dee Brown, Fred Daviss and James Brown outside a Baltimore courthouse after Fred and Mr. Brown narrowly avoided jail time.
Fred and Brown in later years
Charles Bobbit, Jones DeVere and Fred Daviss at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
Fred talking on the phone
This is when we were in the Vatican. According to Mr. Brown, this wasn’t him meeting the Pope, it was the Pope meeting James Brown!
Mr. Brown had a soft spot for kids – including my daughter Kelley.
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The music business is dangerous. Fred was assaulted by an angry mob when an R&B performer was a no-show at a concert. Fred and Brown were also in an canoe when fans almost flipped it over in an African river filled with crocodiles and deadly piranhas. In a bit of naivety, Fred tried to pick a fist fight with the Italian Mafia – they had guns. In addition, the Klan was planning to blow up his house.
Then there was that incident in Liberia . . .
When James Brown was five years old, everyone in Augusta, Georgia knew his name. After surviving a terrible electrocution, he became "The Chosen Child." When Fred Daviss was five, he had an easy, uncomplicated life. A happy life. They were two very different men, who eventually became best friends for 40 years.
Fred Daviss first met James Brown in 1962 when Fred worked in an Atlanta bank.
Fred Daviss - The Early Years - "as the twig is bent . . . "
At work in the Augusta office.
Fred soon became James Brown’s Money Man and not only acted as Brown’s Executive Vice President and Comptroller but also managed his radio stations, publishing houses and advised him in the production of the films The Blues Brothers and Dr. Detroit.
Mr. Brown in his office.
Fred was also the producer of Future Shock, James Brown’s weekly TV dance show and also James Brown – Live at Piedmont Park, a concert video.
Mr. Brown at the Grand Ol’ Opry with Porter Wagoner. This is the only time James Brown got stage fright.
James Brown even performed at the Grand Ol’ Opry where he was warmly celebrated.
Fred and Mr. Brown in their Augusta office parking lot. This is where the infamous police chase began which led to Brown’s time in jail. (Jet Magazine)
Fred and Mr. Brown were always on the move – in the U.S. and around the world.
Fred with one of Brown’s jets
Over a 40-year-long friendship with Brown, Fred also developed fascinating relationships with President Nixon, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
In The Oval Office – Fred Daviss hangs out with Nixon in the White House.
Because of Brown’s many visits to the Oval Office, Mr. Brown became increasingly paranoid about his privacy. It didn’t help that his office shared common walls with The Phone Company and a company that administered lie detector tests. This way, The Phone Company could tap into our conversations and the lie detector guys could tell whether we were telling the truth.
No Wonder the FBI Tapped My Phone – Fred Daviss is caught in the middle of a weird three-way phone call.
James Brown and Fred stood by Elvis’s coffin for four hours as family members and celebrities drifted in and out –including Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie.
Death Of The King – James Brown and Fred Daviss provide a touching tribute to Elvis.
Bigger Than The Pope – James Brown and Fred Daviss receive a blessing in the Vatican.
This is when we were in the Vatican. According to Mr. Brown, this wasn’t him meeting the Pope, it was the Pope meeting James Brown!
The music business is dangerous. Fred was assaulted by an angry mob when an R&B performer was a no-show at a concert. Fred and Brown were also in an canoe when fans almost flipped it over in an African river filled with crocodiles and deadly piranhas. In a bit of naivety, Fred tried to pick a fist fight with the Italian Mafia – they had guns. In addition, the Klan was planning to blow up his house. Then there was that incident in Liberia . . .
Does This Revolution Make Me Look Shorter? – Narrowly avoiding a West African revolution, Fred Daviss confronts the mass murderer who decapitated both opponents and foreigners.
Brown’s bulletproof Mafia limo. His chauffeur took my girls, Kelley and Pepper, to school.
Celebrities love their limos. Just to ride in one makes a person feel rich and famous.
Limos can also attract the wrong kind of attention.
A Real Ladies Man - James Brown propositions a transvestite in a NY limo.
Dee Dee Brown, Fred Daviss and James Brown outside a Baltimore courthouse after Fred and Mr. Brown narrowly avoided jail time.
These stories have never been publicized. Some are funny, some are sad – even horrifying.
Riverdale, Georgia, July, 1977, several weeks before Elvis’s death
Extreme wealth makes people crazy. When the tiny poodle, Pudjy, suffered a tragic death from a swinging kitchen door accident, he received a Christian funeral and was buried in a $5700 coffin. (Michael Ochs/Corbis)
Mr. Brown and I were best friends until his death.
All these stories are true, and this book will always exist as the most reliable first person story of James Brown, The Godfather of Soul.
Charles Bobbit, Jones DeVere and Fred Daviss at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
Kelley and Pepper. Mr. Brown kept their school photos in his wallet
Mr. Brown had a soft spot for kids – including my daughter Kelley
I’m Not Good With Eulogies – Fred Daviss finally gets in the last word with James Brown.
