"They destroyed it. They destroyed it. It's gone."
It was not a happy trip down Memory Lane as a visibly shaken James Brown revisited the King Records site Thursday for the first time in almost 30 years.
"There she is; there she is," he had gushed a few minutes earlier, as his car pulled up outside the brown Spanish-style building in Evanston and several dozen fans cheered.
The optimism that had shone on his face as the Godfather of Soul rode in from the airport discussing plans to reopen King was erased by his brief tour through the worn brick building, now a United Dairy Farmers warehouse.
Inside, joy turned to shock at the changes the years had made. Mr. Brown said he hadn't been there since the late '60s, when his string of King hits ended shortly after the 1968 death of founder Syd Nathan.
In its heyday, King was a complete record-making facility, with offices, studios, disc presses and printing machines under one roof.
"They changed everything. I don't know where I'm at," Mr. Brown sighed, squinting around at bare brick rooms that once had held offices and recording equipment. Former King engineer Ron Lenhoff led him through the building, pointing out where studios and pressing plant had stood.
But Mr. Brown's greatest disappointment awaited him in his second-floor office. "They took my desk away from me!" he cried, referring to his massive, monogrammed half-moon desk, a gift from Mr. Nathan.
"They've taken it all away," said the angry soul great. "The only thing here is me."
Mr. Brown's visit was coordinated by Cincinnati Councilman Dwight Tillery, who grew up in Evanston and has been a longtime supporter of a King revival.
Mr. Brown flew in from Augusta, Ga., at his own expense, with an entourage that included his granddaughter Tanya and two longtime bandmembers, saxophonist St. Clair Pinckney and master of ceremonies Danny Ray. He was met at King by some old associates, most notably musician - producer Bootsy Collins.
Mr. Brown said he still hopes to garner Cincinnati support to reconstruct King "exactly like it was."
Mr. Tillery has said the success of a King revival depends on Mr. Brown's participation. The project will move ahead, he said Thursday, but Mr. Brown would need a few days to recover from his emotional visit.
As the soul great left Evanston, he couldn't hide his disappointment. "The intention was there," Mr. Brown said, slumped in the back of his limousine. "But that (King) is not coming back."
Previous stories
JAMES BROWN TO VISIT KING SITE June 5, 1997
NATHAN ENTERS ROCK AND ROLL HALL May 4, 1997
