Mick Jagger is featured in and is executive producer of a new, two-part documentary about funk/soul legend James Brown that will premiere on the A&E network on Monday, February 19, and Tuesday, February 20, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. James Brown: Say It Loud examines the late entertainer’s life and career, and his impact on music, style, and culture.
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The four-hour presentation features previously unseen archival footage, as well as interviews with Brown’s collaborators, fans, and family members. Among those interviewed for the documentary are Jagger, Amir “Questlove” Thompson, Bootsy Collins, LL Cool J, The Rev. Al Sharpton, Chuck D, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, as well as Brown’s children Deanna, Yamma, and Larry Brown.
Questlove and his Roots bandmate Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter also are among the executive producers on the project.
A preview trailer for James Brown: Say It Loud has debuted on the A&E YouTube channel. It features snippets of interviews with Jagger, Sharpton, Questlove, and others.
In the clip, the Rolling Stones singer notes, “[Brown] was brilliant. He took all these influences and combined them, then he created, almost singlehandedly, this other group.”
Sharpton adds, “He really believed that he could do things and overcome things. He marched to the beat of his own drum.”
Questlove, meanwhile, comments, “I love that two things that he brought to the table were, like, two taboo words—‘funk’ and ‘Black.’”
The preview also touches on Brown’s legal troubles and domestic conflicts.
“My dad was hard. He wasn’t soft,” Deanna Brown remarks at one point.
James Brown: Say It Loud is directed by Deborah Riley Draper, whose previous credits include the award-winning docuseries The Legacy of Black Wall Street. The Brown documentary was produced with the cooperation of the James Brown Estate’s owner and custodian, Primary Wave.
In a 2022 press release announcing Say It Loud, Jagger discussed the influence Brown had on his own musical journey.
“He … inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement,” Jagger said. “I have always admired James and learned so much from him. I look forward to bringing the series to life.”
Jagger also produced the 2014 Brown documentary Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown.
Known as “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “The Godfather of Soul,” and “Soul Brother No. 1,” Brown died in 2006 at age 73.
