The New York Times’ Felicia R. Lee spent some time in the theater lately and got the scoop on the party from the staff, including resident historian and tour guide Billy Mitchell, who’s witnessed a lot of the Apollo’s history.

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, pressed huge tips into his hand for errands and urged him to read. The comedian Jackie (Moms) Mabley sent him to the store to buy chitlins or pork chops, to be shared with everyone, cooked on a hot plate. Flip Wilson sent him out for food too but locked the door to his dressing room for privacy as he washed and ironed (badly) his polyester suits between acts.

Mr. Mitchell, 58, was a teenager when he began hanging around the Apollo’s backdoor, performing odd jobs to help support his family. Since then he has held several bona fide jobs at the theater, including his current one, since 1991.

During Mitchell’s tours, he often gives groups a first hand introduction to one of the Apollo’s most famous events, Amateur Night.

“Who would have thought that one day you would be on the stage of the Apollo?” Mr Mitchell joked on a recent tour, escorting a group onstage for a mock amateur show. He made everyone in the group, which included a middle-aged couple from Indiana and a young one from Paris, do something: recite a poem, sing a song, dance. The Apollo’s motto, after all, is “where stars are born and legends are made.”

The 58-year-old Mitchell – who sometimes works seven days a week and gives three tours a day because of his inside scoop on the theater’s history – tells jokes, does imitations and offers up the skinny on some of its most famous performers.

Here’s a favorite tidbit: James Brown, who faced the infamously fierce Amateur Night crowd in 1952, was initially a flop. “They did not like him,” Mr. Mitchell said. “They didn’t like his clothing. This crowd is brutal. You have to have the full package for this crowd.”

Like most people connected with the Apollo in any way, Mitchell has a special place in his heart for the iconic venue.

“It’s not just music, it’s not just concerts and shows,” Mr. Mitchell said. “The Apollo Theater in the beacon of the community, it honors our ancestors and it honors us, too.”

Coming up March 7 and 8 at the Apollo are cultural fairs, tours with Mitchell and discussions featuring artists, journalists and activists about the history of the theater and its impact on the city, all free and open to the public. Additional free events are planned for October.

Read Lee’s complete story on the Apollo’s history, check out a complete list of upcoming events and watch a short film that offers a peek behind the curtain here.