James Brown Courtesy photoSinger James Brown â whose nicknames included Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother Number 1 and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Koen Suyk / Anefo I â and I'm sure many others â am still trying to process the loss of McAlester's James Brown this week. During his lifetime, he served as an educator at McAlester High School, several stints as McAlester city councilor, a member and then chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, on the board of the East Central University Alumni Association and so much more. At the time of his passing with complications following treatment for COVID-19, he filled a double role on the city council, serving not only as the Ward 4 city councilor but McAlester's vice mayor as well.