James Brown Memorial at the Apollo

I volunteered to shoot James Brown's memorial at the Apollo Theater in New York for AOL's Black Voices. Knowing that the news photo agencies would have mass coverage, my idea was to shoot photos to try to give the AOL audience a different perspective.

 

My original plan was to cover the scene outside, shoot the arrival of the casket and the fans paying tribute inside the Apollo. However once there, I realized it would not be as easy as I thought. Thousands of people lined the streets waiting to get into the theater, and dozens of reporters and photojournalists already were there. I heard there had been people standing in line since midnight.

Wilbur Bracey holds a portrait of James Brown while waiting in line in front of the Apollo Theater.

 

A James Brown look-a-like, Charles Bradley, awaits the arrival of James Brown's body at the Apollo.

 

Members of the media gather in front of the Apollo Theater as they wait for the horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket of legendary singer James Brown.

 

I started shooting pictures almost as soon as I arrived, but soon I decided to stake out a position to get the arrival of the horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket. I was able to grab a few shots with the fish eye lens and then started working my way toward the front of the theater. The entrance seemed only a few feet away, but with all the people present it turned out to be impossible to get in. After shooting a couple more frames, I made my way back to the office to try to meet my deadline. 

The horse drawn carriage carrying the casket of legendary "Soul Man" James Brown is followed by the Rev. Al Sharpton as it approaches the Apollo Theater.

 

One mourning fan proudly displays his jacket, which has been airbrushed with a portrait of James Brown.

 

I think my photos complemented the main news coverage done by the wires and rounded out the Black Voices: James Brown Remembered photo gallery.

 

-Fredy