WBUR Newsroom Election 2008 CommonHealth Blog Radio Boston Blog Boston Weather Climate Connections BBC World News NPR Top Stories NPR's Morning Edition NPR Topics: Books NPR Topics: Movies Fresh Air All Things Considered Marketplace Submit a News Tip RSS Feeds Podcasts Rewind: Boston, April 5th, 1968 By Bob Oakes Some say Boston James Brown's Boston Garden concert helped calm an enraged city the night after Martin Luther King's assassination. BOSTON, Mass. - April 04, 2008 - Reverend Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated -- 40 years ago today -- in Memphis, Tennessee. The day after, there were riots in black communities around the country. In Boston, unrest seized Roxbury and North Dorchester. James Brown was scheduled to perform that night at the Boston Garden but the show was almost canceled by then-mayor, Kevin White, who says in a new documentary that "His concert we thought might bring as many as 15 or 20 thousand black people from the community, mostly young people, into the city. It just had too much emotion in it not to decide whether that would be a problem." The VH1 documentary, "The Night James Brown Saved Boston," recounts how the show ultimately went on and was broadcast live on WGBHH Channel 2. The show helped keep the peace in Boston. Now, 40 years later, WBUR'S Bob Oakes talks with two people who remember that night well. Kenneth Guscott was the president of Boston's NAACP at the time, and Jimmy "Early" Bird was a local DJ and booking agent for James Brown. Audio for this story will be available on WBUR's web site later today. RELATED LINKS Link to VH1 page on "The Night James Brown Saved Boston" Click here to read Ed Siegel's review of the documentary Listen to WGBH's audio recording of James Brown's Boston Garden concert    From The WBUR Newsroom Comparing Jobless Benefits BOSTON, Mass. (July 25, 2008) As jobless claims rise, people get more unemployment benefits in Massachusetts than in most other states. We compare what it's like for someone in Lawrence with their counterpart across the border in Salem, New Hampshire. From Pump to Pew BOSTON, Mass. (July 25, 2008) A church in West Bridgewater is giving out free raffle tickets to parishioners. The prize: a 50-dollar gas card...and more people in the pews. Strain of Stressful Finances BOSTON, Mass. (July 25, 2008) The faltering economy puts stress on individuals and families, and may lead to a rise in people with mental health issues. We talk with one doctor from Mass. General about the trend and what to do about it. The Bard is Back in Boston BOSTON, Mass. (July 25, 2008) The Bard is back: Shakespeare on the Common returns to the outdoor stage with a full schedule of free shows this summer.