Published: Saturday, December 30, 2006
Youngstown woman was James Brown's assistant
Brown came to visit his personal caretaker when she was hospitalized here.
By AMANDA GARRETT
YOUNGSTOWN — For more than 30 years, a Youngstown native was by James Brown's side while he conquered the music world.
The Rev. Inez Ellis of Youngstown said her late sister Girtrude Sanders served as the godfather of soul's personal caretaker.
"Wherever he was that's where Girtrude was. She was like a second mother to him," she said of Girtrude, who died in 2001 at age 77. "Over the years, James Brown adopted my mother and father and my brothers and sisters — our family became his family."
Sanders grew up in Youngstown, but she met Brown while she was living in New York and Brown was performing at the Apollo Theater.
"She took care of all his personal needs and all of his clothes and made sure he was ready for the stage," she said. "She was very loyal to him."
The Rev. Mrs. Ellis wasn't able to attend any of Brown's funeral services, but Brown's sister Fannie Brown Burford of Joliet, Ill., visited Mrs. Ellis on Thursday evening while she was on her way to Brown's funeral services in Augusta, Ga.
Burford came to drop off some Brown memorabilia that she had made, Mrs. Ellis said.
Singer visited here
Sanders became ill about five years ago and had to return to Youngstown, but the self-proclaimed "hardest working man in show business" called and visited Sanders regularly, Mrs. Ellis said.
"He came to the hospital to visit her, but none of the hospital staff would believe me before he came," she said.
"I kept on telling them, 'Just you wait, he's going to come,' but they just laughed at me. When he came through the door they were amazed. They were yelling and shouting, 'He's here! He's here!'"
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