James Ambrose Johnson Jr., who went by the stage name Rick James and died on August 6, 2004, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was born on February 1, 1948, and died on August 6, 2004. James was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He started making music when he was in his teens.
Before he joined the U.S. Navy Reserve to avoid being sent to the army, he played in different bands. James ran away from home in 1964 and went to Toronto, Canada, where he started the rock band the Mynah Birds. In 1966, Motown Records signed them to a record deal.
James’s time with the group came to an end when military officials found out where he was and charged him with desertion. He went to jail for a few months. James moved to California after he got out of prison. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he started a number of rock and funk groups.
James started the popular Stone City Band in his hometown of Buffalo in 1977. After signing with Motown’s Gordy Records and putting out the album Come Get It! in 1978, which had the hits “You and I” and “Mary Jane,” he finally found success as a recording artist. James’ best-selling album, Street Songs, came out in 1981.
It had hits like “Give It to Me Baby” and “Super Freak,” which became his biggest crossover hit because it mixed funk, disco, rock, and new wave. Soulful ballads like “Fire & Desire” and “Ebony Eyes” made James famous as well. James also did well as a songwriter and producer for Teena Marie, the Mary Jane Girls, the Temptations, Eddie Murphy, and Smokey Robinson, among others.
When James’s album Glow came out in 1985 and he appeared on the popular TV show The A-Team, he was at the top of his game. His next albums didn’t sell as well as the ones that came before them.
James’s “Super Freak” was sampled by rapper MC Hammer for his 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This,” which won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. James’s only Grammy was for writing this song. By the beginning of the 1990s, James’s drug abuse and legal problems were hurting his career.
James was found guilty in 1993 of kidnapping and beating up two different women while he was high on crack cocaine. He was sent to Folsom State Prison for three years as a result. James got out of jail on parole in 1996, and in 1997, he put out the album Urban Rapsody.
James’s health problems again put a stop to his career after he had a mild stroke during a concert in 1998. He then announced that he would be taking a break from music for a while.
When James was on an episode of Chappelle’s Show in 2004, he got back into the mainstream of pop culture. The skit, which was done in the style of Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories, made fun of James’s wild life in the 1980s. This made people interested in his music again, and the next year he went back on the road to perform.
James died later that year at age 56 from a heart attack. In November 2020, James’s estate confirmed that it had sold a 50% stake in his publishing and masters catalogue to the Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which was started by Merck Mercuriadis, a Canadian businessman and music industry executive.
Early life
Johnson was born in Buffalo, New York, on February 1, 1948. His parents were Mabel (formerly Sims) and James Ambrose Johnson Sr. He was the seventh of eight kids. At St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, he was an altar boy and a member of the choir. When James was 10, his father, who worked in an auto shop, left the family.
His mother used to dance for Katherine Dunham. After that, she worked as a cleaner during the day and for the Buffalo crime family at night as a numbers-runner. James’s mother took him with her on her collecting route, and he saw John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Etta James play in bars where she worked.
Later, in his autobiography Glow, James said that he lost his virginity at “age 9 or 10” to a local girl who was 14. He said that his “kinky nature came out early.” James went to Bennett High School for a while before dropping out. James started using drugs at a young age and was arrested for breaking into a house when he was a young teen.
Because he had been arrested for theft and spent time in jail, James joined the United States Navy Reserve when he was 14 or 15 and lied about his age to avoid being drafted. During that time, he also started playing drums in New York City jazz groups. Because he didn’t show up to his twice-monthly Reserve meetings on the USS Enterprise, he was sent to Vietnam.
Early career
James ran away to Toronto in 1964. Soon after he got there, three drunk men tried to attack him outside of a club. Three other men stepped in to help him. One of them, Levon Helm, was in Ronnie Hawkins’ backing band at the time. Helm invited James to the band’s show that night, and James ended up playing with the band onstage.
When James was in Toronto, he became friends with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, two of the city’s musicians. James used the name “Ricky James Matthews” to avoid getting caught by the US military. In the same year, James put together a band called The Mynah Birds. Their music was a mix of soul, folk, and rock.
In 1965, the band made a short record for the Canadian branch of Columbia Records called “Mynah Bird Hop”/”Mynah Bird Song,” which came out as a single. Nick St. Nicholas, who later became famous with Steppenwolf, was a member at one point, but by the time “Mynah Bird Hop” was recorded, he had been replaced by bassist Bruce Palmer.
James and Palmer brought in guitarists Tom Morgan and Xavier Taylor and drummer Rick Mason to make a new Mynah Birds band. They quickly went to Detroit to record with Motown. Morgan left because he didn’t like how the label treated the musicians.
This was before the group started recording their first songs for the label. Neil Young took his place in the end. James met Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder while he was in Detroit. They were two of his favourite musicians. After James told Wonder his name, “Ricky James Matthews,” Wonder thought it was “too long” and told James to shorten it to “Ricky James.”
The Death of Musician Rick James
On August 6, he died of a heart attack. At least nine drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine, were found in his body, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
David Campbell of the coroner’s office said that toxicology tests also found Xanax, Valium, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Vicodin, Digoxin, and Chlorpheniramine.
Campbell said that none of the drugs were at levels that would kill “on their own.” The coroner said that James died of an accident.
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James, Whose Given Name Was James Johnson Jr
His assistant went to his apartment in Oakwood Toluca Hills and found him dead. Campbell said that the funk rocker, who was 56 and from Buffalo, N.Y., had not been to a doctor in the weeks before he died, so the coroner’s office took over the case.
James went to prison for assault and had a history of using crack cocaine. In 1998, he had a stroke. The singer was best known for his 1981 hit “Super Freak.” In July, he sang “Fire & Desire” with Teena Marie at the BET Awards. This was his last public performance.
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers gave him a lifetime achievement award at their Rhythm & Soul Awards on June 29 in Beverly Hills.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Did Rick James Come Out?
On August 21, 1996, James got out of prison after being there for more than two years.
How Old Was Rick James at Death?
He was 56. Jason Lee, a police spokesman, said that James’ personal doctor signed his death certificate and wrote that he died because of “existing medical conditions.”
Who Got Rick James Money?
Forbes reported in 2015 that after a seven-year fight, the James estate and Universal Music Group settled a class-action lawsuit for $11.5 million.
Conclusion
Rick James was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was born on February 1, 1948, and died on August 6, 2004. James’ best-selling album Street Songs came out in 1981; it had hits like “Give It to Me Baby”.
When James’s album Glow came out in 1985 and he appeared on The A-Team, he was at the top of his game. His “Super Freak” was sampled by MC Hammer for his 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This”.
He was found guilty in 1993 of kidnapping and beating up two women. James Johnson was born in Buffalo, New York, on February 1, 1948. James lost his virginity at age 9 or 10 to a local girl who was 14.
He saw John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Etta James play in bars where she worked. Was friends with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in Toronto, Canada. James’ personal doctor signed his death certificate and said that he died because of “existing medical conditions,” police said.
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