The Night James Brown Saved Boston: A 55th Anniversary Retrospective

55 years ago today, the city of Boston was likely about to go up in flames following the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. who was seen by many as an honorary Bostonian. The only things that prevented it from happening were the quick actions of Bostonians Jimmy “Early” Byrd, Tommy Atkins, and The Hardest Working Man In Show Business himself, James Brown. Back in 1981, I traveled with my family to visit our relatives in E. Orange and Newark, NJ. I noticed the many shuttered buildings and the ruins of many an old establishment all throughout our stay in New Jersey–especially passing through Trenton– before I asked my mother, “What happened here?”. She explained to me that there were uprisings in numerous cities all over the country following the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. I asked her if the same thing happened in Boston and she told me our city was spared by a James Brown concert that happened at Boston Garden. She might as well told me Boston was saved by Batman… <a href="https://dartadams.medium.com/the-night-james-brown-saved-boston-a-55th-anniversary-retrospective-68a45ccfd782">Read More</a>