James Brown's Silver Cape Focus of Ohio Lawsuit

The late, great and very much missed James Brown commanded a flashy live performance style essential to his musical persona. Brown's on-stage outfits contributed to his aura. Interestingly, his costumes were woven, not by Hollywood somebodies, but by Cleveland-area tailors Curtis and Marilyn Gibson. They were more than local tailors: the Gibsons were the tailors of choice for other prominent acts, including The Temptations, The Four Tops, and, believe it or not, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

According to a lawsuit filed by attorneys representing Brown's daughter, the Gibsons have kept one of the "Godfather of Soul's" custom-made silver capes. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported the story. The dispute appears to center over money. James Brown himself would not have been surprised what motivated the dispute. As he sang in It's A Man's, Man's World, "Man makes money/To buy/From other men."