The Importance of Knowing Your Hero

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There was a huge wave of impersonators at this time. No one really knew what their heroes looked like. James Brown reportedly had to do a lot of backflips to win them over. Jeff Maysh: Val Hardy told her that if she didn't cooperate, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

Mary Jones could sing just like Aretha Franklin. One night, a James Brown impersonator saw her perform at a Motown tribute show - and thought he could take her on tour and trick audiences into believing she was the real Queen of Soul. Jeff Maysh tells the story.

Learn more in Jeff Maysh’s piece for Smithsonian Magazine, “The Counterfeit Queen of Soul.”

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