Augusta— In an emotional eulogy for his friend James Brown on Friday, the Rev. Al Sharpton recalled that he once asked the late Godfather of Soul why he screamed when he performed.

"I was born with nothing," Sharpton said Brown told him. "Nobody wanted me. Now heads of state ask me to come to their house for dinner. I used to pick cotton, and now I have the finest fabrics made for me.

BEN GRAY/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)

Mourners enter Carpentersville Baptist Church in North Augusta, S.C., for James Brown's funeral Friday. The service was one of a series of memorial events after his death Christmas Day — from a public viewing in Harlem on Thursday to a public funeral today.

BEN GRAY/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)

Tomi Rae Hynie, who was the partner of legendary soul singer James Brown, and their son, James Joseph, arrive for his funeral Friday.

BEN GRAY/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)

Deanna Brown, James Brown's oldest daughter, gets support from the Rev. Herman Bing of Carpentersville Baptist Church.

"God brought me from nowhere," the singer concluded, "and when you think about where he has brought me, I can't be cool. I've got to scream!"

Sharpton spoke for about 15 minutes Friday afternoon inside Carpentersville Baptist Church in North Augusta, S.C., the Brown family's small church. About 400 people packed inside for the private service, with some having to stand along the walls. A few celebrities attended the first of two services for Brown: comedian-activist Dick Gregory, rapper MC Hammer, promoter Don King. A public funeral is today in Augusta.

"Today is for the people who knew him," Sharpton told the congregation. "James Brown was there for us, and we will be here for James Brown."

Brown died early Christmas Day of congestive heart failure at Atlanta's Crawford Long Hospital. He was 73.

Tomi Rae Hynie, Brown's partner who made news when she was locked out of the singer's home this week, wore a two-piece black suit and sky-high heels to the service. She brought the couple's 5-year-old son, James Joseph, who clutched a teddy bear and wore a black suit with purple shirt.

"We had a hand-clapping, foot-stomping good time giving God the glory for giving us the Godfather," said gospel singer Derrick Monk, who roamed up and down the aisles as he sang "God Has Smiled On Me" during the service.

"I cried and I'm not ashamed to say I cried," Monk added. "Just seeing him in that casket brought tears to my eyes again. But he smiled at me. And when he smiled, I was OK."

"It was a party," said Jimmy Carter, who photographed Brown for the past 15 years and was the only official photographer inside the church. "Everybody was jumping and singing. It was not a solemn affair but one of rejoicing. It was like he lived. Happy."

The funeral began more than an hour and a half late when the black Mercedes hearse finally pulled up outside the church about 2:30 p.m. Nine pallbearers lifted Brown's 24-karat gold casket from the back, and carried it 15 yards into the church.

While members of Brown's family enjoyed a catered supper of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese after the funeral, Hynie left the church.

"I'm just holding up," she said. "I want to take care of my son. He's asking what happened and I want to get home and have a talk with him."

Outside the church afterward, Gregory said it was hard for someone like Brown "to get his due until he dies. If he was as white as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, he would be getting way more appreciation now.

"He took a style and movement to the whole world," Gregory added. "He took the black experience, raw and naked, and brought it as a crossover."

"He was like a father figure to me," said Bootsy Collins, bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic, who plans to attend today's public service.

"He basically started my whole career," added Collins, who performed often with Brown. "He taught me what was right and what wrong. I was wild — just like any long-haired sucker. But he kept me in line."

Augusta was home to Brown for most of his life, even though he had houses elsewhere. He was born in rural South Carolina, but at age 6 he moved to Augusta, where he was raised by his great-aunt in a brothel. The city unveiled a bronze statue of the legendary singer in 2005 at a downtown park not far from James Brown Boulevard.

This week of tributes to the iconic musician has been like the climax of his famous act, when he would dramatically collapse to the stage over and over, but keep getting up to his feet to make a little more music. On Thursday he lay on the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem as thousands of mourners filed past to pay tribute. His coffin was driven from New York to Augusta overnight for the funeral Friday at Carpentersville Baptist Church. His public funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at the James Brown Arena, formerly the Augusta-Richmond Civic Center.

Chicago lawyer Jay B. Ross, who represented Brown for 15 years, looked around after Friday's funeral and said, "Look at this. He's been dead four days and he's still the hardest-working guy in show business.

"He had two performances this week and he's got one more to go."

Staff writers Virginia Anderson, Rodney Ho, Phil Kloer, Nick Marino, Sonia Murray and Bill Torpy contributed to this article.

RELATED LINKS:

• Full coverage in accessatlanta.com/music

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• Blog: TV honors the Godfather

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• Photos: Great moments at the Apollo

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• See & Hear it: His influence in music today

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