James Brown Estate: Photos From the Billboard Shoot

This photo of Brown holding the street sign that leads to his home adorns nearly every light switch in the house.

Brown’s bedroom was a centerpiece of his house; opposite the bed (with his monogrammed pajamas), heart- shaped mirrors flank an old TV on the wall. In the corner is a movie director’s chair, from the set of either The Blues Brothers or Rocky IV, both of which he appeared in.

Brown’s salon, which also contained a spa and footbaths (for feet that were constantly dancing onstage), was full of dozens of the same product — he was so meticulous about his hair and appearance that when he found something he liked, he would often buy it in bulk out of fear it would sell out or be discontinued.

Mr. David Washington, who worked for Brown for decades later in the star’s life, with Brown’s Rolls-Royce, one of several luxury vehicles — including a red Thunderbird and a ’42 Lincoln Continental — that came with the estate when Primary Wave purchased it. Mr. Washington’s favorite? “Big Red,” the lawnmower he stores at the top of the hill.

The wrought iron gates that signal entry to the Brown estate on James Brown Boulevard, and the Georgia pines that cover the property’s grounds.

Two tour buses parked on the lawns of the Brown estate from the Living in America Tour in the ’80s. One housed the band, the other equipment.

Brown died on Christmas Day in 2006, and this tree has remained standing — with presents underneath — in the foyer of his home ever since.

James Brown’s “Sex” jumpsuit in the music atrium of Brown’s home in Beech Island, S.C.

James Brown, who grew up picking cotton so he could afford food and clothes, kept cotton branches in vases around his house to remind himself where he came from.

A photograph of Brown and his father, above the service flag that adorned his dad’s casket during his funeral. Brown had a sometimes contentious relationship with him, though he later purchased a house for the elder Brown in Augusta in the ’60s.

The front living room of Brown’s home, featuring a photo of him and his eldest son, Teddy, above the fireplace; a phonograph on the hearth; and a bar in the corner. The house is full of mirrors, bamboo and motifs such as elephants.

Primary Wave takes special care of Brown’s iconic suits and jumpsuits, which can be particularly susceptible to the passage of time.

The original master tape of “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” recorded for King Records off the iconic 1970 album Sex Machine with the original J.B.s, which included iconic musicians like Bootsy Collins, Catfish Collins, Bobby Byrd, Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks.

Since Brown died on Christmas Day, 2006, his house has been left largely untouched — including the food in the kitchen cabinets, like these cans of food and an assortment of cereals and snacks like popcorn, Pop-Tarts and Teddy Grahams.

An assortment of some of Brown’s iconic stage costumes, some of which were embroidered by his wife, Adrienne, many of which can be seen in some of the concert footage from his performing career.

Brown’s music atrium, where he would conduct rehearsals and host parties, includes this impressive sunken marble bar in the center under a giant chandelier that hangs from a Stargazer, accessed by a spiral staircase, that looks out over the entire property. The painting on the far wall is signed, “Tony Quisenberry ‘74.”

James Brown Estate

The music atrium in Brown’s Beech Island, S.C., home, photographed on June 24, 2024, where he used to host parties and jam sessions, complete with his “Sex” jumpsuit and a painting of him in his 1970s “mustache era.”