Soul legend James Brown taught Sister Sledge's Kathy Sledge powerful life lesson

dailystar.co.uk:

Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Nile Rodgers.Kathy was just a teenager when she performed at the historic Rumble in the Jungle boxing event in 1974, the heavyweight championship bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman which took place in Zaire, Central Africa.The titan boxing match saw Kathy and her sisters share the stage with none other than the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, who taught Kathy vital lessons in artistry.Speaking exclusively to Daily Star's Sam Huntley, Kathy Sledge opened up about what it was like to work with the biggest names in the music game, and the time she shared a flight with the likes of James Brown, Bill Withers and the Pointer Sisters.Kathy confessed she felt like she was "in wonderland" the whole time during her Rumble in the Jungle stint where she also met the most iconic boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali.The star-studded trip began when she boarded a flight with her fellow performers, which just happened to include I Feel Good icon James, Bill Withers and the Pointer Sisters.She said: "I got a chance to work with James Brown.

I was 13 years old or 14. Something like that, and we were all on the same plane together. All the talent, from James Brown to Pointer Sisters to Bill Withers, and it was world music, too.

All of these artists are on this flight together."And I’m like this kid, I was in wonderland throughout the whole time, and meeting Muhammed Ali and George Foreman, and of course, James Brown."Although the We Are Family hitmaker was no older than fourteen at the time, she insisted she never took her experience for granted and made sure to "lean in" and learn from the legends.Kathy went on: "And sharing the stage with him, I never took the spinners.