Rodney Hilton Brown, Author, MUHAMMAD ALI: The Untold Story

Great to have Rodney Hilton Brown on the podcast this week. For most people, it’s a little known fact Cassius Clay Sr. was a house painter as well as fine arts painter in his hometown Louisville and that he shared his love of the arts and encouraged his son, known globally as Muhammad Ali, to explore his artistic side. Over the years, Ali expressed himself beautifully and produced a large number of drawings, paintings and, poetry over the years. In 1977, historian, Rodney Hilton Brown, veteran, collector, and author, was the owner of an art gallery in Manhattan. He met Muhammad Ali at a charity boxing match in Boston. They formed a friendship and partnership that lasted for the rest of Ali’s lifetime. Rodney became the greatest boxer of all time’s art dealer, friend, confidant, representative to the United Nations, and business. Ali lovingly nicknamed him “The Vanilla Brother.” Rodney, now in his seventh decade, felt the time was ripe to tell his story and share his never-before-revealed memories about the decades he spent with “the greatest of all time” with the world. The result is MUHAMMAD ALI: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet, and Prophet. Hilton-Brown’s rare and extensive collection of Muhammad Ali’s artwork and some other items will be sold at auction this coming October 5, 2021, in the morning at Bonhams in Manhattan and online. View full sale catalog: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/27079/