POP/ROCK - Feb. 22, 1989

Jesse Jackson made an appeal Monday for the “earliest possible” parole of soul singer James Brown, saying Brown had been a model prisoner and an inspiration to others. Jackson, who met with Brown for more than 90 minutes at the State Park Correctional Institute near Columbia, S.C., told USA Today that Brown’s punishment seemed excessive, but added, “It’s not the time to make a judgment on the judge, it’s a time to appeal for mercy.” Brown is entering his third month in prison for a six-year sentence stemming from a two-state, high-speed police chase last September.