A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.

Bobby Byrd: He's a show-stopper. It's a miracle!
Sarah Byrd: Really? Maybe me and you could work on a little harmony together.
Mrs. Byrd: Sarah, get down here!
Bobby Byrd: She coming, mama. She coming.
Aunt Honey: You special. You mama's a no account fool, your daddy too, but you ain't going to be. You gonna be okay. One day, everybody going to know your name.
Susie Brown: My baby playing at the Apollo.
James Brown: I ain't your baby, not then, not now. I look after James Brown. You want to know me, I'll tell you. My daddy in the army. My mamma left. No one else helped me. No one else.
James Brown: Are we done, Mr. Byrd?
Bobby Byrd: I'm afraid not, Mr. Brown.
James Brown: I say, are we done?
Bobby Byrd: I think we got more funk in the trunk.
James Brown: What's wrong, Maceo?
Maceo Parker: We can't play that like you told us. It doesn't work musically.
James Brown: Does it sound good?
Maceo Parker: Yeah
James Brown: Does it feel good?
Maceo Parker: Yeah
James Brown: If it sound good and it feel good, then it's musical.
Reporter: What exactly do you call your style of music?
James Brown: I call it James Brown music because it's so far ahead of its time
James Brown: Mr. President, I want to go to Vietnam. We've got to bring the super heavy funk to the cats over there... Are they shooting at us? They trying to kill James Brown today. You want to go down in history as the man who killed the funk?
Bobby Byrd: Look at these people, James. When is it going to be when we up there?
James Brown: Right now!
Bobby Byrd: What?
James Brown: When I hit the stage, people better be ready, especially the white folk
Ben Bart: You're entering a game here where the rules are already set up.
James Brown: I'm just a street kid from Augusta, Georgia. Now, tell me what you see.