Music fest sheds Brown’s name

With James Brown facing a domestic violence charge, a music festival in his hometown of Augusta, Ga., no longer wants to name itself after the Godfather of Soul.

Organizers of the event once dubbed the James Brown Music Festival said the backlash over the singer’s recent arrest made it hard to find corporate sponsors. The Greater Augusta Arts Council said the annual May event would revert to its original name, the Garden City Music Festival.

Brown, 70, was arrested at his Beech Island, S.C., home last week on charges he pushed his wife, Tomi Rae Brown, 33, to the floor during an argument in a bedroom and threatened to kill her. He denied the charges.

Whether Brown will still perform at the festival is uncertain, but the city is moving forward with plans for a $40,000 bronze statue of him, scheduled to go on display the day before the festival.