THE HARDEST WORKING MAN Hardback - 2008

by Sullivan, James

The story of the night James Brown kept the peace in the wake ofthe assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and delivered hope withan immortal performance

Since James Brown's death in December 2006, the Godfatherof Soul has received stirring tributes from coastto coast. Yet few have addressed his contribution in thedarkest hour of the civil rights movement. Telling theuntold story of his historic Boston Garden concert of 1968,The Hardest Working Man also captures the magnificentachievements that made Brown a revolutionary icon ofAmerican popular culture.

Acclaimed journalist James Sullivan begins his stirringaccount by depicting the racially charged climate of Bostonin the hours after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death. Brown'sconcert was slated for cancellation as police geared upfor mass retaliation. After Brown butted heads with themayor, the show was allowed to go on and his emotional,electric performance was broadcast live on local television.Though rioting erupted in more than a hundred U.S. citiesthat night, Boston remained quiet. Not only bringing to lifethat transforming show, James Sullivan also charts Brown'sincredible rise from poverty to self-made millionaire and thepivotal voice behind the signature anthem 'Say It Loud I'mBlack and I'm Proud,' making The Hardest Working Man atribute to an unforgettable concert and a rousing biographyof a revolutionary musician.