Less than one week after he was released from a hospital where he was

undergoing treatment for an addiction to painkillers, soul singer James

Brown was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and unlawful use of a

firearm.

"We called him yesterday morning and he agreed to turn himself in at 2

p.m.," said Lt. Michael Frank, public information officer for the Aiken

County Sheriff's Office. Brown was charged with two counts of unlawful use

of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance

and with simple possession (less than one ounce) of marijuana.

Brown, 64, was released on bond. A court date for the singer is not yet

known.

Brown was taken to a Columbia, S.C., hospital on Jan. 15 by deputies armed

with a Probate Court order, after family members became concerned for his

health. The writer and performer of such landmark hits as "I Got You

(I Feel Good)" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" injured his back during a

recent performance in Florida and began taking medication to relieve the

physical suffering, according to his agent, Jeff Allen. Brown was released on Jan. 21.

The singer's court-ordered hospitalization led to the filing of Tuesday's

charges.

"Back when the deputies served Probate papers to Mr. Brown, they saw a

couple of weapons as well as the small amount of marijuana," Frank said.

Deputies also observed a number of spent gun shells. Among the items

confiscated from Brown's Beech Island, S.C., home were a .30-caliber rifle

and a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun.

Frank would not say what led police to believe that the weapons had been

fired while Brown was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. "That's

something that would come out in court," he said.

Jack Bart, a spokesman for Brown's New York agent, Universal Attractions,

said on Wednesday that he was not aware of the charges. Asked if the

singer is still planning to mount a recently announced world tour, Bart

said, "Absolutely."

Representatives from James Brown Enterprises were

unavailable for comment.

Beginning in 1956, Brown forged a career that not only resulted in two

decades of hit songs, but also helped establish the foundations of soul and

funk music. In the 1960s, the singer mixed socially conscious songs such

as "Say It Loud -- I'm Black And I'm Proud" and "Don't Be A Drop Out" in

with groove-laden dance smashes such as "Out Of Sight" and "Cold Sweat."

Brown's early '70s work set the stage for the hip-hop revolution to come.

In the '80s and '90s, his music has been among the most-sampled by rap

artists.

Brown's arrest on Tuesday was only one of a string of run-ins with the law. In 1988,

he led police on a two-state car chase; drug tests afterward found Brown to

be under the influence of the drug PCP, also known as angel dust -- that incident resulted in a prison term. From 1989-91, the singer spent two years in a South Carolina prison

for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer.

Also in 1988, Brown's fourth wife, Adrienne, alleged Brown had beaten her and

filed charges of assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault and

battery. The charges were later dropped. Adrienne Brown died in 1996. [Wed., Jan. 28, 1998, 9 a.m. PST]