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| Rick James |
| Born James Johnson, on February 1,1948 in Buffalo, New York. The nephew of Temptations vocalist Melvin Franklin, James pioneered a crossover style between R&B and rock in the mid-1960's. After growing up in Buffalo and running away to join the Naval Reserves, he ran away from the Navy to Toronto. In 1965, he formed The Mynah Birds in New York with two future members of the Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, plus Goldie McJohn, later with Steppenwolf. Motown Records signed the band as a riposte to the British wave of R&B artists then dominating the charts, before their career was aborted when James was arrested for draft evasion. Resuming his career in Britain in the early 1970's, James formed the funk combo Main Line. Returning to the U.S. he assembled a like-minded group of musicians to perform a dense, brash brand of funk, influenced by Sly Stone and George Clinton. Re-signed to Motown in 1977, as a songwriter, artist, and producer he rapidly evolved a more individual style, which he labelled "punk funk". His first 12" single, "You And I" (May 1978), topped the R&B charts and reached number 13 on the Top 40. "Mary Jane" (September 1978) was another hit. Both were on James' debut album, "Come And Get It!" (June 1978), which went gold. Subsequent efforts were not as successful, though "Bustin' Out Of L Seven" (January 1979) featured the R&B hit "Bustin' Out" (April 1979). James returned to form with the number 1 R&B and number 40 Top 40 hit "Give It To Me Baby" (March 1981), featured on the million-selling "Street Songs" (April 1981), which also featured the, number 16 on the Top 40, hit "Super Freak." M.C. Hammer would later sample "Super Freak" for his million-seller "Can't Touch This." James chose to present himself as a social outlaw, with outspoken views on drugs and sex. In a move subsequently echoed by Prince, he amassed a stable of artists under his control at Motown, using The Stone City Band as his backing group, and the Mary Jane Girls as female pawns in his macho master-plan. James also produced records by actor Eddie Murphy, vocalist Teena Marie, Val Young, and Process and the Doo-Rags. His own recordings, predominantly in the funk vein, continued to corner the disco market. Secure in his commercial standing, he revealed that he preferred recording ballads to the funk workouts that had made his name, and his drift towards a more conservative image was heightened when he duetted with Smokey Robinson on the hit single "Ebony Eyes," and masterminded the Temptations' reunion project in 1983. James' flamboyant lifestyle took its toll on his health and he was hospitalized several times between 1979 and 1984. His career continued unabated, and he had major hits in 1984 and 1985 with the more relaxed "17" and "The Glow." "The Glow" (April 1985) contained the Top Ten R&B single "Can't Stop," which was featured in the summer movie blockbuster "Beverly Hills Cop." He was angered by constant media comparisons of his work with that of Prince, and cancelled plans to star in an autobiographical film called "The Spice Of Life" in the wake of the overwhelming commercial impact of his rival's "Purple Rain." After releasing "The Flag" in 1986, James ran into serious conflict with Motown over the status of his spin-off acts. When they refused to release any further albums by The Mary Jane Girls, James left the label. Signing to Reprise Records, a division of Warner Bros. Records, he immediately achieved a R&B number 1 with "Loosey's Rap," a collaboration with Roxanne Shante. In 1989, James charted briefly with a medley of the Drifters hits "This Magic Moment" and "Dance With Me." James' drug problems had not disappeared and following years of abuse he was jailed in 1991, together with his girlfriend Tanya Hijazi, for various offences including dealing cocaine, assault and torture. The King Of Funk confessed to Rolling Stone that at least by being in prison he "could not do drugs". He was released in 1996. "Urban Rapsody" was the 1997 comeback effort that was supposed to restore his personal and professional reputations, and to a certain extent, it does just that. The media blitz that accompanied its release did forcefully bring him back into the spotlight, and his collaborations with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Rappin' 4-Tay brought him to a younger audience, while his collaborations with Bobby Womack and Charlie Wilson retained his older following. However, "Urban Rapsody" doesn't really offer anything new — it's the same collection of smooth ballads and freaky urban funk that he's been peddling since the late 1970's. The lack of variety is a bit of a disappointment, but that disappointment is tempered by the fact that much of the album is well-crafted and performed, illustrating that James has not entirely lost it. While the lack of variety prevents "Urban Rapsody" from being a totally triumphant comeback, the cuts that do work help make the record his best album in over a decade. "Urban Rapsody" was released in an edited version with all of the profanity removed. The last several years James has focused more on the production side of the business, most notably on Talib Kweli & Hi Tek's "Reflection Eternal" released in 2000. James seems to have cleaned up his act if not his image and perhaps will make another stellar album like those from his glory days at Motown. Sadly since writing his bio for The DiscoMuseum Rick has died. Reports claim that he died in his sleep of natural causes in his L.A. home. Another talent gone too soon...we'll forever remember the "super freaky" man for his talent and vision. |
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| Born: 2-1-1948 Died:8-6-2004 .....of natural causes? |