When did James Brown’s name disappear from plans for new arena?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - With the old James Brown Arena gone, local officials are free to give its replacement the same name, according to the company that owns the rights to the Godfather of Soul‘s legacy.
In fact, the company said it’s “appalled” local officials would consider jettisoning the name of a favorite son just to sell off naming rights for the new arena.
The matter made news this week when officials with the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority were showing off their plans but said the new arena may not bear the Brown name.
When that raised some eyebrows, officials said they couldn’t use Brown’s name if they wanted to because the legendary singer’s family had sold it to a company called Primary Wave.
That’s actually not the case, Primary Wave said Friday.
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“Mr. Brown gifted his name – free of charge – to the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority,” the company said in an email to News 12 on Friday.
“Since becoming stewards of Mr. Brown’s legacy, Primary Wave Music has been proud to continue his gift, which remains free of charge,” the company said. “We are appalled that ARCCA is apparently declining continued use of the free license and that its partner is seeking to monetize what has long been a monument to Mr. Brown’s generosity and care for his community.”
Brad Usry, who sits on the authority’s board, told News 12 on Thursday the agency needs the money from naming rights to fund day-to-day operations of the new arena that’s being constructed with revenues from a half-penny sales tax approved by voters.
In fact, he indicated the agency had planned all along to sell the naming rights.
However, News 12 looked at drawings of the proposed new arena released in 2021 ahead of a public vote on a tax to fund the new arena. They bore the name “James Brown Arena”:
Voters soundly rejected that plan.
When officials came back with a new plan in 2023 to fund the arena with a sales tax, they released drawings of a building that looked identical to the ones released in 2021 – except the signage was changed to “Augusta Entertainment Complex.” Take a look:
The subtle change wasn’t widely noticed or discussed by local officials and media.
After the sales tax ed, local officials widely touted the planned building as “the new James Brown Arena,” and no one seemed to step forward to deny that would be the name – until this week.
News 12 looked back at the ballot question in 2023 and found there was no mention of the name:
However, even though Usry said the Coliseum Authority planned all along to sell the naming rights, we noticed something on a website the authority set up to promote the new arena for the second vote.
Even though the website is called https://newaugustaarena.com, there’s something a little extra when you click on “The New Augusta Arena” navigation link at the top of the homepage.
The page address becomes this: https://newaugustaarena.com/the-new-james-brown-arena/. Take a look:
All of this is not to say that Brown can’t get double-billing along with a sponsor.
But this puts the ball back in the court of the Coliseum Authority.
Brown’s daughter Deanna Brown Thomas clearly favors keeping her dad’s name around. She issued this statement Friday:
- I the day I called my father to tell him the Coliseum Authority wanted to name the Civic Center after him. He was quiet for a moment, then said, ‘Thank you, sugar… that’s really something.’ For him, it wasn’t just an honor — it was a symbol. He believed deeply that young Black boys and girls needed to see names like theirs on major institutions so they could believe in their own potential. That arena, with his name on it, stood as a message: ‘You can, too.’
- The naming of the James Brown Arena was a proud and historic moment—not only for our family, but for the entire Augusta community. It remains the only arena in the world named after a music artist, and it was gifted freely by James Brown himself to the city he loved. His name on that building is a source of pride, legacy, and cultural identity.
- Neither our family nor Primary Wave—the current steward of James Brown’s name, image, and likeness—has ever objected to his name being on the arena. In fact, we have consistently ed it. We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn that the Coliseum Authority removed his name, and even more troubled by the false implication that this decision is due to permissions, money or rights issues. Let us be clear: there are no financial demands, no restrictions, and no barriers—only our full for James Brown’s name to remain where it belongs.
- The citizens of Augusta have already spoken through their votes and their voices. They asked for a new James Brown Arena to honor the Godfather of Soul and the enduring impact he made — not just on music, but on this city and the world.
- We stand united: James Brown’s name should stay. It is more than a name — it is a legacy.
At least some local residents agree.
More than 1,200 people have already signed a petition on change.org to preserve the name of James Brown Arena.
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