Explore how MTSU students studied James Brown’s cultural legacy through a hands-on course that blended music history, archival preservation, and career insights. The class partnered with Iron Mountain and featured guest lectures from industry experts.
In the Fall 2024 semester, I led an innovative class at Middle Tennessee State University titled Living in James Brown’s America: From Doo-Wop to Hip-Hop, an in-depth exploration of the Godfather of Soul’s influence on music, culture, the music industry, record production, and civil rights. As part of the course, students not only studied James Brown’s career but also actively contributed to Mr. Dynamite: The Legacy of James Brown, a special exhibition curated in partnership with the King Records Legacy Foundation and MTSU’s Centre for Popular Music.
During this educational journey about James Brown, I learned that Primary Wave Music is the James Brown estate and asset owner and has commissioned Iron Mountain to help preserve this historical archival collection. Primary Wave specialises in managing and acquiring musical estates and catalogs and has made it a priority to protect and care for the assets and legacy of James Brown.
They have an ongoing partnership with Iron Mountain to perform preservation and remediation work in order to ensure James Brown’s music and historical contributions are available for generations to come.
The students were Recording Industry majors and equally represented by the three concentrations of Music Business, Audio Production, and Commercial Songwriting, so I sought ways to tie the legacy of James Brown into their desired career paths.
One of the highlights of the class was a guest lecture from Kelly Pribble, Director of Media Preservation Technologies at Iron Mountain Media and Archival Services. Kelly worked with Primary Wave on the preservation and remediation of the James Brown collection. He also has remediated other historically significant recordings, providing my students with a rare behind-the-scenes look at how archival materials - like James Brown’s personal collection of videos and artifacts - are safeguarded for future generations.
Beyond its academic importance, the preservation of audio and video also presents real-world career opportunities. Companies like Iron Mountain play a critical role in safeguarding music’s history, offering careers in archival restoration, mastering, and digital preservation, as well as mentoring the next generation of preservationists. Kelly emphasised that professionals trained in handling fragile analog media, using advanced digital restoration techniques, and understanding the ethics of archival work are in demand. It was an opportunity for my students to engage in the vital craft of preserving history and hear firsthand experience from Kelly how historical assets are remediated and preserved.
Our time together wasn’t just about learning who James Brown was as an artist, it was also about ensuring that his legacy, both musically and historically, remains accessible for generations to come. For my MTSU students, learning about these processes firsthand opened doors to career paths where they can blend their passion for music with technical expertise in preservation and restoration. By incorporating hands-on projects and industry guest speakers like Kelly, the class successfully engaged in the intersection of music history, archival science, and cultural preservation.
My class, Living in James Brown’s America: From Doo-Wop to Hip-Hop, helped enriched the students' understanding of James Brown's legacy, but also illuminated potential career paths in archival science and preservation within the music industry. Kelly and our other guest speakers offered valuable insights into the practical applications of archival science within the music industry, highlighting the importance of preserving cultural heritage for future generations. Students were able to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios, fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of these disciplines and hopefully inspiring future archivists and music preservationists.
