Godfather's Farewell
June 2009, MOJO
"When Mr Brown read the lyrics before going into the booth, he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and told me that this would be a big song after he was gone," says Derrick Monk.
He's talking about I Still Stand, James Brown's last known recording, which has surfaced on Monk's MySpace page.
It was recorded in late 2005, a year before the Godfather of Soul died of congestive heart failure, and features him singing as though staring death in the face, thanking God and musing on the highs and lows of his career.
During the song Brown refers to his darkest moments, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Mr Brown felt the weight of the worlf on his shoulders," says Monk, who produced the mighty soul man's last three albums. "He really worked hard at trying to be a man for the people, but being a superstar isn't always as rewarding as it should be. Your life is put under the microscope and you can feel persecuted."
Monk says he owns dozens of unreleased James Brown recordings and hopes to secure a distribution deal.
"Mr Brown trusted me to continue his legacy," he says. "I just want to make him proud."
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