James Ambrose Johnson Jr. † (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004 [age 56]),[1] better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, musician, producer, and songwriter.
About[]
He was born in Buffalo, New York , United States on February 1, 1948.
In 1977, he signed with a Motown imprint, Gordy Records, as a recording artist, releasing his debut, Come Get It!, in April 1978. The album sold over 2 million copies, and launched his career as a funk and soul artist. His most popular album, 1981's Street Songs, launched him into superstardom thanks to the hit singles, "Give It to Me Baby" and "Super Freak", the latter song becoming his signature song, and the basis of MC Hammer's biggest hit, "U Can't Touch This." James eventually sued for back royalties. After being credited as writer of the song, James became the 1991 recipient of a Best R&B Song Grammy for composing the song. Due to this success, James was often called the "king of punk funk", for his mix of funk, soul and underground-inspired rock music. In addition to his own success, James emerged as a successful songwriter and producer for other artists, such as Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, The Temptations, Eddie Murphy and Smokey Robinson.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Come Get It! (with the Stone City Band) (1978)
- Bustin' Out of L Seven (1979)
- Fire It Up (1979)
- Garden of Love (1980)
- Street Songs (1981)
- Throwin' Down (1982)
- Cold Blooded (1983)
- Glow (1985)
- The Flag (1986)
- Wonderful (1988)
- Kickin' (1989)
- Urban Rapsody (1997)
- Deeper Still (2007)
Trivia[]
- He is sued rapper M.C. Hammer in 1990 for unauthorized use of music samples of his song "Superfreak" in Hammer's hit song "U Can't Touch This". The case was settled out of court, and along with another songwriter who wrote "Superfreak", he received songwriting credits on "U Can't Touch This".
- He has two grandchildren.
- He played a guest role in an episode The a-team, "The Heart of Rock N ' Roll", in which he played himself and performed in a prison. Isaac Hayes also starred in this episode.
References[]
