NEW YORK (AP) — Pallbearers lifted the gold casket carrying the "Godfather of Soul" into a horse-drawn carriage yesterday for a procession through Harlem to the historic Apollo Theater, where thousands of fans waited to pay their respects to the late James Brown.As the carriage began rolling, people followed in the street singing the chorus of Brown's anthem, "Say it Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud."

Brown, who died of heart failure Christmas morning at 73, lay in repose from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. yesterday on the stage where he made his 1956 debut.

As Norman Brand waited outside the theatre for the procession to arrive, the 55-year-old recalled hearing Brown's anthem for the first time in his native Alabama.

"It really changed the attitude of most black people. It was like a wake up call. Before that, if you were called black, it was like an insult," Brand said. "Just one song and one word can change a whole situation."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, Brown's close friend, raced through the night in a van with the casket, arriving about three hours late, but vowing to make sure the R&B star did not miss his date.

"He was a superstar for common people, and I wanted to make sure that common people got to see him one last time," Sharpton told The Associated Press late Wednesday, at the start of his journey from Georgia to New York.

Sharpton said the road trip was necessary because logistical problems had made it impossible to catch the last flight of the evening.

"It's going to be a royal day in Harlem," he said, promising "the kind of homecoming we haven't seen in a long time, if ever, in the Harlem community."

The Apollo Theater prepared for long lines of people paying their respects to Brown, whose unique style of soul and funk left a large imprint on hip-hop, disco and rap music.

Brown loved it when people lined up outside the Apollo for his shows, Sharpton said.

"His eyes would get wide. He'd smile," Sharpton said. "My dream is that I can say, 'Mr. Brown, they were lined up for you one last time'."

Apollo historian Billy Mitchell said Brown routinely drew the largest crowds of anyone at the theatre.

The Apollo has been used for public viewings several times before, but always for employees. In 1992, the theatre provided a last chance to honour Ralph Cooper, who founded Amateur Night, the weekly talent contest that launched the careers of Brown, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, among scores of others.

The theatre also was a showcase for such superstars as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and a young Michael Jackson.

Outside yesterday, its marquee read: "Rest in Peace Apollo Legend The Godfather of Soul James Brown, 1933-2006," and Brown's epic "Live at the Apollo" album streamed from the marquee speakers.

A man taped flowers and pictures of Brown on a wall next to the Apollo, and less than a block away, a merchant showed videos of Brown's live performances on a television outside.

New York City resident Olive Conteh-Martyn recalled children trying to emulate his dance moves when she was a teenager in Sierra Leone, in West Africa.

"We idolised him," she said.

"Brown was as fast as lightning!" said West Webb, who hoped to get into the Apollo yesterday to pay tribute. "He was one of a kind."

Brown continued to work to the end, dying less than a week before he was to perform New Year's Eve in Manhattan at B.B. King's blues club. Chaka Khan, the Grammy Award-winning rhythm and blues performer, will play instead.