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stevecanmakeanythingnerdy · 5 years ago

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Battle #26

The Vindictives: The Many Moods of... ( Side D )

Vs.

The Mary Jane Girls: Only Four You ( Side 1 )

The Vindictives: The Many Moods of... ( Side D )

The Vindictives are probably one of the best and most underrated of the 90s pop punk bands to call Chicago home. They began in 1990, after Joey’s first band, Vicktimz of Society called it quits. Their original lineup included Joey Vindictive (vocals), Johnny Personality (bass), Ben Weasel (of Screeching Weasel fame on guitar), Dr. Bob (guitar), and Erik Elsewhere (drums). The band would quickly experience lineup changes and evolve in complexity as well. The band would end up releasing 12 EPs and albums until July 1996, when Joey Vindictive revealed that his health issues would prevent the band from going on. The band DID continue past that but never at the capacity and intensity it had been previously. The distinction between The Vindictives and other pop punk bands of the same cloth is all in the lyrics. Often sexual or paranoia themes (sometimes both!) took center stage. And those amazing and layered harmonies!! No one did it better than The Vindictives. You got a real sense of the frantic-ness though in the music and the production was outstanding. Every song is catchy and holds your attention, making each song just a little different. Something pop punk is not often known for often, embracing the repetitiveness. So this “album” is really one of their only proper ones but it’s more or less a collection of all the aforementioned EPs. “Future Homemakers of America” Starts the party off right. Meaty and punchy with those dripping snotty vocals. Not perfect and that’s OK. It’s part of the energy, and a real slap across the face of suburbia stay at home housewives everywhere. “Spring Valley Shopping Mall” Tell the tale of what sounds like a really bad date. Literally a story in the form of a song. “1 (900) ILU-VYOU” is a dominatrix tune that features those amazing backing vocal harmonies. You could say they DOMINATE (#seewhatididthere) at it. Next up is “Basketcase”-a quickie punker rocket with driving and screaming leads. It’s better than Green Day’s version. Just kidding, totally different songs, but Green Day does serve as a good comparison for production value and tight melodies. Speaking of tight,

“You Know Who You Are” follows suit and punches you in the face. All while bitting and clawing your eyes out. Wound up like a spring and ready to pounce. As if it couldn’t get any faster, “Impatient” flies at you at breakneck speeds. Vindictives are not usually Minor Threat level fast, but skatepunks be damned, these guys mean business! Thrashing lashes to make you gnash your teeth. Probably one of the best songs on this side, and best examples of how the Vindictives stand out is found in “...And The World Isn’t Flat Anymore”. It’s very catchy and sing along style, but still manages to employ one the band’s favorite tricks, vocals in the round. Joey understands how to make one set bleed into the other and it sounds so amazing. More vocal layers than a 7 layer burrito! His raw and unabashed outlook give that darker edge the band uses to their advantage. Ironically these are probably some of the weaker tunes in their arsenal, so just imagine how awesome Sides A-C are! Brilliant!

The Mary Jane Girls: Only Four You ( Side 1 )

The Mary Jane Girls are an American R&B, soul and funk group that gained popularity in the 1980s. They were protégées of singer Rick James. Much like Prince had Shiela E and others, Rick James has his girls too. They are known for their hit songs "In My House", "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of "Walk Like a Man". Joanne "Jojo" McDuffie was the lead singer, the others filling out the group's style and appearance. According to the wiki, on the studio recordings, McDuffie was backed by session vocalists rather than the other Mary Jane Girls. The album credits the other members as each singing at least one song though. The Mary Jane Girls released two albums in the 1980s and recorded a third which was shelved for decades but finally released in 2014. They were inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019. You can practically see the marketing plan-o-gram throughout, but you know what? The songs are fairly catchy. I like the 80s and even though it has distinct Motown and funk influence, there is a decent representation of new wave too. Rock actually wrote and produced all the songs too, so he had his hands all over it. Of course we should address the obvious. The name of the group referenced mary jane, slang for marijuana; a favored recreational drug of James. (James wrote a hit song titled "Mary Jane".) The group's image was styled as containing a street-wise girl (McDuffie), a supermodel (Ghant), a cheerleader/valley girl (Wells, then Marine), and a dominatrix (Wuletich). This is their second album and has the biggest hit, which starts off the whole thing. “In My House” has a VERY Rick James start with that keyboard intro, then drop the funky bass. These are 4 ladies that know the 80s. If disco were just watered down new wave, ala Lipps Inc., then I’d be ok with it. That’s pretty much what we have here. “Break it Up” is another funky dance club hit parade. Revolving Supremes-like vocals that keep your interest. The next 30 seconds are an interlude to the song “Shadow Lover” but they bothered to list it as a separate track, so...? It’s a saxophone meets piano warm up really, into the actual action. A slow bedroom jam that might make Luther Vandross jealous. The last track (only 4 you I guess #seewhatididthere ) is next. It’s called “Lonely for You” and the play on the album title is not lost on me. This one is back to the rockin’ beats. Mellow and melody. The underlying keyboard is fantastic on this cut. It’s a new wave version of En Vogue or a disco version on The Supremes. Either way, nice. I hope they didn’t have to do anything freaky to get their deal...(#seewhatididthere)

So today we saw the many moods of The Vindictives in full regalia. They took 16 minutes to burn 101 calories over 7 songs. That is 14.43 calories burned per song and 6.31 calories burned per minute. The Vindictives earned 18 out of 21 possible stars. The Mary Jane Girls did it only four you. They took 19 minutes to burn 116 calories over 4 songs. That’s an average of 29.p calories burned per song and 6.11 calories burned per minute. The MJG earned 8 out of 12 possible stars. Looks like The Vindictives will be in a haploid because they won today’s challenge!

The Vindictives : “You Know Who You Are”

https://youtu.be/RpT7OGsUzWo

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonseven

#Randomrecordworkout

#randomrecordworkout #randomrecordworkoutseason7 #vinyl #records #80s #80s music #punk #90s music #90s #rick james #mary jane girls #the vindictives #chicago punk

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blackkudos · 7 years ago

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Rick James

Rick James (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004) was an American musician, composer and actor.

Influenced by singers such as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, James started singing in doo-wop and R&B groups as a teenager in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. After entering the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted, he deserted to Toronto, where he formed the rock and R&B band, The Mynah Birds, whose lineup once included Bruce Palmer, Neil Young, and Nick St. Nicholas. James' tenure with the group was interrupted after he was discovered recording with the group in Motown in 1966. Surrendering to military authorities, he served a one-year prison term. Upon release, James moved to California to resume his duties with the Mynah Birds, although the group eventually split. James began a series of rock bands in California and worked with Motown under the assumed name "Ricky Matthews" as a songwriter.

In 1977, he signed with the Gordy Records imprint of Motown as a recording artist, releasing his debut, Come Get It!, in April 1978. The album sold over two million copies and launched his career into the mainstream 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 for the rest of his life, 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.

An addiction to drugs hampered his career by the late 1980s. In the 1990s, his legal troubles, which included kidnapping and torturing two women while under the influence of crack, led him to serve a three-year sentence at California's Folsom State Prison. James was released on parole in 1996 and resumed his musical career releasing the album, Urban Rapsody, in 1997. A mild stroke suffered during a concert in early 1998 interrupted his career for a brief time. James received new notoriety in 2004, when he appeared (as himself) in an episode of Chappelle's Show, in a Charlie Murphy "True Hollywood Stories" segment that satirized James' wild lifestyle. James died later that year from heart failure, at age 56.

Biography

Early life and career

James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. was born on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, to Mabel (née Sims) and James Ambrose Johnson, Sr. He was one of eight children. James' father, an autoworker, left the family when James was ten. His mother was a dancer for Katherine Dunham, and later ran errands for a Mafia-connected mob, just to feed her family. James' mother would take him on her collecting route, and it was in bars where she worked that James got to see performers such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Etta James perform. James claimed later in the autobiography, Glow, that he lost his virginity at "age 9 or 10" to a 14-year-old local girl, claiming his "kinky nature came in early". James eventually attended Orchard Park High School and Bennett High School prior to dropping out. James was introduced to drugs at an early age and, as a young teen, was busted for burglary. Due to his stints in jail for theft, James entered the United States Navy at 14 or 15, lying about his age, to avoid the draft. During that time, he also became a drummer for local jazz groups in New York City. Due to him missing his twice-monthly Reserve sessions at the USS Enterprise, he found himself ordered to Vietnam.

In 1965, he fled for Toronto, where he made friendships with then-local musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. To avoid being caught by military authorities, James went under the assumed name, "Ricky James Matthews". That same year, James formed the Mynah Birds, a band that produced a fusion of soul, folk and rock music. In 1965, the band briefly recorded for the Canadian division of Columbia Records, releasing the single, "Mynah Bird Hop"/"Mynah Bird Song". At one point, Nick St. Nicholas of later Steppenwolf fame was a member; eventually bassist Bruce Palmer replaced him by the time "Mynah Bird Hop" was recorded. James and Palmer would recruit guitarists Tom Morgan and Xavier Taylor and drummer Rick Mason to form a new Mynah Birds lineup, and soon traveled to Detroit to record with Motown. Before the group began recording their first songs for the label, Morgan left, unhappy about the label's attitude towards the musicians. Neil Young eventually took his place. It was while in Detroit that James met his musical heroes, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. After meeting Wonder and telling him his name, Wonder felt the name "Ricky James Matthews" was "too long", and instead told James to shorten it to "Ricky James".

After James got involved in a fight with the group's financial backer in Toronto, the Navy was given a tip regarding James' whereabouts and the singer was soon arrested. Afterwards, Motown dropped the band from the label, and James spent a year in prison. After his release, James moved to California where he resumed his musical career. After forming a duo with musician Greg Reeves, Reeves was soon hired to work as a musician for the rock supergroup, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. James returned to Motown as a songwriter in 1968, under the assumed name "Rickie Matthews", and worked with acts such as The Miracles, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, and The Spinners. According to James, he briefly got involved in pimp activity during this time, but stopped because he felt he wasn't qualified for it due to the harsh activity and the abuse of women there. Returning to California from Toronto in 1969, James got involved with hair stylist Jay Sebring, who agreed to invest in James' music.

In late 1968, James formed the rock band Salt and Pepper. James and S&P member Ed Roth later were included in Bruce Palmer's solo album The Cycle is Complete. The duo also recorded as part of the group Heaven and Earth in Toronto. Heaven and Earth eventually changed their name to Great White Cane and recorded an album for Los Angeles label, Lion Records, in 1972, though it was later shelved. James formed another band, Hot Lips, afterwards. In 1973, James signed with A&M Records, where his first single under the name Rick James, "My Mama", was released, becoming a club hit in Europe. In 1976, James returned to Buffalo, New York, and formed the Stone City Band and recorded the song "Get Up and Dance!", which was his second single to be released. In 1977, James and the Stone City Band signed a contract with Motown's Gordy Records imprint, where they began recording their first album in New York City.

Solo career

In April 1978, James released his debut solo album, Come Get It!, which included the Stone City Band. The album launched the top 20 hit, "You and I", which became his first number-one R&B hit. The album also included the hit single, "Mary Jane". It eventually sold two million copies, launching James' musical career to stardom, and helping out Motown Records at a time when label fortunes had dwindled. In early 1979, James' second album, Bustin' Out of L Seven, followed the previous album's success, eventually selling a million copies. A third album, Fire It Up, was released in late 1979 going gold. Around that same period, James launched his first headlining tour, the Fire It Up Tour, and agreed to invite the then-upcoming artist, Prince, as well as singer Teena Marie, as his opening act. James had produced Marie's successful Motown debut album, Wild and Peaceful and was featured on the hit duet, "I'm a Sucker (For Your Love)". James was credited with naming Marie, "Lady Tee", on the song, a nickname that stuck with Marie for the rest of her career. The Fire It Up tour led to James developing a bitter rivalry with Prince, after he accused the musician for ripping off his act.

Following the end of the tour in 1980, James released the ballads-heavy Garden of Love, which became his fourth gold record. In 1981, James recorded his best-selling album to date, Street Songs, which like his previous four albums, was a concept album. Street Songs featured a fusion mix of different genres, including rock and new wave, as well as James' brand of crossover funk, enabling James' own style of "punk funk". The album featured hit singles such as "Ghetto Life", the Teena Marie duet "Fire and Desire", "Give It to Me Baby", and his biggest crossover hit to date, "Super Freak", which peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and sold over a million copies. Street Songs peaked at number one R&B and number three pop, and sold over three million copies alone in the United States. Following up that success, James released two more gold albums, 1982's Throwin' Down and 1983's Cold Blooded.

During this period, envious of Prince's success as producer of other acts including The Time and Vanity 6, James launched the acts Process and the Doo-Rags, and the Mary Jane Girls, featuring his former background singer Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie as the lead vocalist and background performer, finding success with the latter group, due to the hits, "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and "In My House". In 1982, James produced the Temptations' Top Ten R&B hit, "Standing On The Top". In 1983, James recorded the hit duet, "Ebony Eyes", with singer Smokey Robinson. In 1985, James produced another hit for entertainer Eddie Murphy with the song "Party All The Time". That same year he appeared on an episode of The A-Team with Isaac Hayes. After the release of his ninth solo album, The Flag, in 1986, James signed with Warner Bros. Records, which released the album Wonderful in 1988, featuring the hit, "Loosey's Rap".

James' controversial and provocative image became troublesome sometimes. During his heyday, James had presented his songs to the then-fledging music video channel, MTV, only to be turned down because James' music didn't fit the network's rock playlist. James accused the network of racism. When MTV and BET both avoided playing the video for "Loosey's Rap" because of its graphic sexual content, James considered the networks hypocritical in light of them still playing provocative videos by Madonna and Cher.

In 1989, James' eleventh album, Kickin', was released only in the UK. By 1990, he had lost his deal with Warner Bros. and James began struggling with personal and legal troubles. That year MC Hammer released his hit signature song, "U Can't Touch This", which sampled the prominent opening riff from "Super Freak". James and his co-writer on "Super Freak", Alonzo Miller, successfully sued Hammer for shared songwriting credit and all three consequently received the 1990 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. In 1997, James released Urban Rapsody, his first album since his release from prison on assault charges, and he toured to promote the album. That same year, he discussed his life and career in interviews for the VH1 musical documentary series, Behind the Music, which aired in early 1998. James' musical career slowed again after he suffered a minor stroke during a concert. In 1999, James accepted an offer by Eddie Murphy himself to appear in his film, Life.

Personal life

Relationships and children

James had three children. With Syville Morgan, a former singer and songwriter, he had daughter Ty and son Rick, Jr.

In 1989, James met 17-year-old partygoer Tanya Hijazi. The two began a romance in 1990. In 1993, the couple welcomed the arrival of their only child and James' youngest, Tazman. Following their releases from prison for assaulting Mary Sauger and Frances Alley, the couple married in 1996 and divorced in 2002.

James was very close with Teena Marie, whom he met and began collaborating with in 1979. While James had denied that the two were romantically involved, Teena Marie stated they were romantically involved and engaged "for two weeks". Their professional partnership lasted into 2004, when Marie released her comeback album, La Dona, which included her and James' duet "I Got You". When James died, Teena Marie said she struggled to come to terms with his death.

Notable friendships

James became close friends with Eddie Murphy after the two met in 1981. Following his exit from the United States Navy in 1984, Murphy's older brother Charlie Murphy, whose first post-Navy job was working as security for his famous brother, began hanging out with James, and he bonded with the singer. Murphy would later recall on Chappelle's Show his sometimes strained relationship with James, which helped to revive James' name in the public eye after years of seclusion, following his mild stroke in 1998. James also appeared in the episode recounting his memory of the experiences shared by Charlie, such as starting impromptu fights with him and staining Eddie Murphy's couch with mud.

James was also a friend of fellow Motown acts Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, one of the singers James idolized as a teenager. Additionally, he befriended Gaye's second wife, Janis, and he was godfather of Gaye's daughter Nona. James' relationship with Robinson began shortly after James signed with Motown and, in 1983, the duo recorded the hit "Ebony Eyes."

James also idolized former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin and Ruffin's self-proclaimed uncle, bass vocalist Melvin Franklin, and grabbed at the chance to produce the hit "Standing on the Top" for them in 1982. Before that, the then-current lineup of the group recorded background vocals on two James-associated projects – James' Street Songs (singing "Ghetto Life" and "Super Freak") and Teena Marie's It Must Be Magic (singing on the title track). In "Super Freak," "It Must Be Magic," and "Standing On The Top", James famously shouted out, "Temptations SING!"

Drug abuse and health problems

James' lifelong drug abuse began in his teens, first with marijuana and heroin. James began using cocaine in the late 1960s. His cocaine use became an addiction by the 1980s, and he began freebasing by the end of the decade. James recalled smoking crack cocaine in his Beverly Hills mansion and often had aluminum foil on the windows to escape onlookers.

His drug use led to health issues that impacted his life. In April 1984, he was hospitalized after being found unconscious in the middle of his house by a friend. James claimed he quit cocaine when he entered prison, although cocaine would later be found in his bloodstream following his autopsy.

Legal troubles

The start of the 1990s brought with it a string of bizarre and sometimes horrific troubles for James. His drug use was by this time public knowledge. He was mainly addicted to cocaine and later admitted to spending about US$7,000 per week on drugs for five years straight. In 1993, he and future wife Tanya Hijazi were accused of holding 24-year-old Frances Alley hostage for up to six days although accounts vary on how long she was actually held, tying her up, forcing her to perform sexual acts, and burning her legs and abdomen with the hot end of a crack cocaine pipe, during a week-long cocaine binge. In 1993, while out on bail for that earlier incident, James, under the influence of cocaine, assaulted music executive Mary Sauger at the St. James Club and Hotel in West Hollywood. Sauger claims she met James and Hijazi for a business meeting, but said the two then kidnapped and beat her over a 20-hour period.

He was found guilty of both offenses but was cleared of a torture charge in the crack pipe incident that could have put him in prison for the rest of his life. He served two years in Folsom Prison and lost a civil suit to Sauger, who was awarded US$2 million. He was released from prison in 1996. In 1998, James was accused of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman, though charges were later dropped.

Final years

Chappelle's Show

In early 2004, James participated in a comedy sketch on Chappelle's Show, in a segment called "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories". James and Murphy recounted humorous stories of their experiences together during the early 1980s. During the sketch, James' character, played by Dave Chappelle, utters the now famous catchphrase, "I'm Rick James, bitch!" The sketches were punctuated by James, as himself, explaining his past behavior with the phrase, "Cocaine is a hell of a drug!"

Autobiography and final music projectsAutobiography

At the time of his death, James was working on an autobiography, The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak, as well as a new album. The book was finally published toward the end of 2007 by Colossus Books and features a picture of his tombstone.

David Ritz, who had been employed by James to work on the book with him, later said that this version did not truly reflect how the musician wanted it published. In 2014, Ritz published his own, re-edited version, Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James.

Final music projects

He was also supporting Teena Marie's tour of her album La Doña and toured with her in May 2004, playing with her at the KBLX Stone Soul Picnic, Pioneer Amphitheatre, Hayward, California.

Death

On the morning of August 6, 2004, James' caretaker found him dead in James' Los Angeles home at the Oakwood Toluca Hills apartment complex, just outside Burbank. He had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure, associated with his various health conditions of diabetes, a stroke, pacemaker, and heart attack. His autopsy found alprazolam, diazepam, bupropion, citalopram, hydrocodone, digoxin, chlorpheniramine, methamphetamine, and cocaine in his blood. However, the coroner stated that "none of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life-threatening in and of themselves".

James was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. His two-ton, jet black headstone is engraved with the following lyrics to an unreleased song: "I've had it all, I've done it all, I've seen it all. It's all about love – God is love."

Digital releases

James' entire Motown Records back catalogue was released in 2014 on iTunes for the very first time in digitally remastered form. This marks the first time many of his albums have been widely available since their initial release. Physical copies of James' albums, namely Fire It Up, Garden of Love and The Flag, have become rare and highly sought after by fans.

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)

Wikipedia

#Rick James

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punkffunk-fire-and-desire · 2 years ago

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Mary Jane Girls

L - R: Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich, Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie, Yvette "Corvette" Marine and Candice "Candi" Chant

L - R: Candice "Candi" Chant, Cheryl "Cheri" Bailey, Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie and Kimberly "Maxi" Wuletich

L - R: Candice "Candi" Chant, Tegan Taylor, Cheryl "Cheri" Bailey, and Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie

Mary Jane Girls albums:

Mary Jane Girls (1983)

Only Four You (1985)

#mary jane girls #joanne mcduffie #candice ghant #cheryl bailey #kimberly wuletich #yvette marine #tegan taylor #rick james #punk funk #cheri wells #motown

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fivestarjamz · 8 years ago

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“All Night Long” by The Mary Jane Girls (1983)

The person most responsible for the public perception of Rick James is Rick James.

Rick did much to promote himself as a coke-fueled hedonist (even after his coke-fueled hedonist days were over), and that image took away from the fact that he was an amazingly talented singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Case in point: “All Night Long” by his proteges The Mary Jane Girls, a song that only made it to Number 11 on Billboard’s R&B charts and didn’t chart pop at all, but contains one of the best-known basslines and choruses in ‘80s pop history. Ask Big Daddy Kane. Ask Mary J. Blige. Ask Groove Theory. Ask LL Cool J. You get the picture.

The key word here is sultry. Joanne McDuffie’s frank come-ons are flirty without being dirty. The groove is smooth and Danny LeMelle’s horns create a mood that’s less about sex and more about seduction. “All Night Long” is classy in a way that one wouldn’t expect from the guy who burnt women with crack pipes and created an image of himself as a cautionary tale of ‘80s excess.

4 star songs between “All Matter” and “All Night Long”: “All My Days With You” by Sweetback | “All My Life” by Foo Fighters | “All My Life” by K-ci & Jojo (bumped from 5 stars) | “All My Life” by Mariah Carey feat. Rick James (hey, there he is again) | “All My Love” by Led Zeppelin | “All N My Grill” by Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott feat. Big Boi | “All Night Dancin’” by The Jacksons

youtube

#mary Jane girls #rick james #motown #1983 #american bandstand

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paulodebargelove · 8 years ago

Photo

Rick James (bornJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004) was an American musician, composer and actor. Influenced by singers such as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, James started singing in doo-wop and R&B groups as a teenager in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. After entering the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted, he deserted to Toronto, where he formed the rock and R&B band, The Mynah Birds, whose lineup once included Bruce Palmer, Neil Young, and Nick St. Nicholas. James’ tenure with the group was interrupted after he was discovered recording with the group in Motown in 1966. Surrendering to military authorities, he served a one-year prison term. Upon release, James moved to California to resume his duties with the Mynah Birds, although the group eventually split. James began a series of rock bands in California and worked with Motown under the assumed name “Ricky Matthews” as a songwriter. In 1977, he signed with the Gordy Records imprint of Motown as a recording artist, releasing his debut, Come Get It!, in April 1978. The album sold over two million copies and launched his career into the mainstream 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 for the rest of his life, 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. An addiction to drugs hampered his career by the late 1980s. In the 1990s, his legal troubles, which included kidnapping and torturing two women while under the influence of crack, led him to serve a three-year sentence at California’s Folsom State Prison. James was released on parole in 1996 and resumed his musical career releasing the album, Urban Rapsody, in 1997. A mild stroke suffered during a concert in early 1998 interrupted his career for a brief time. James received new notoriety in 2004, when he appeared (as himself) in an episode of Chappelle’s Show, in a Charlie Murphy “True Hollywood Stories” segment that satirized James’ wild lifestyle. James died later that year from heart failure, at age 56. Biography Early life and career James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. was born on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, to Mabel (née Sims) and James Ambrose Johnson, Sr. He was one of eight children. James’ father, an autoworker, left the family when James was ten. His mother was a dancer for Katherine Dunham, and later ran errands for a Mafia-connected mob, just to feed her family. James’ mother would take him on her collecting route, and it was in bars where she worked that James got to see performers such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Etta James perform. James claimed later in the autobiography, Glow, that he lost his virginity at “age 9 or 10” to a 14-year-old local girl, claiming his “kinky nature came in early”. James eventually attended Orchard Park High School and Bennett High School prior to dropping out. James was introduced to drugs at an early age and, as a young teen, was busted for burglary. Due to his stints in jail for theft, James entered the United States Navy at 14 or 15, lying about his age, to avoid the draft. During that time, he also became a drummer for local jazz groups in New York City. Due to him missing his twice-monthly Reserve sessions at the USS Enterprise, he found himself ordered to Vietnam. In 1965, he fled for Toronto, where he made friendships with then-local musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. To avoid being caught by military authorities, James went under the assumed name, “Ricky James Matthews”. That same year, James formed the Mynah Birds, a band that produced a fusion of soul, folk and rock music. In 1965, the band briefly recorded for the Canadian division of Columbia Records, releasing the single, “Mynah Bird Hop”/“Mynah Bird Song”. At one point, Nick St. Nicholas of later Steppenwolf fame was a member; eventually bassist Bruce Palmer replaced him by the time “Mynah Bird Hop” was recorded. James and Palmer would recruit guitarists Tom Morgan and Xavier Taylor and drummer Rick Mason to form a new Mynah Birds lineup, and soon traveled to Detroit to record with Motown. Before the group began recording their first songs for the label, Morgan left, unhappy about the label’s attitude towards the musicians. Neil Young eventually took his place. It was while in Detroit that James met his musical heroes, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. After meeting Wonder and telling him his name, Wonder felt the name “Ricky James Matthews” was “too long”, and instead told James to shorten it to “Ricky James”. After James got involved in a fight with the group’s financial backer in Toronto, the Navy was given a tip regarding James’ whereabouts and the singer was soon arrested. Afterwards, Motown dropped the band from the label, and James spent a year in prison. After his release, James moved to California where he resumed his musical career. After forming a duo with musician Greg Reeves, Reeves was soon hired to work as a musician for the rock supergroup, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. James returned to Motown as a songwriter in 1968, under the assumed name “Rickie Matthews”, and worked with acts such as The Miracles, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, and The Spinners. According to James, he briefly got involved in pimp activity during this time, but stopped because he felt he wasn’t qualified for it due to the harsh activity and the abuse of women there. Returning to California from Toronto in 1969, James got involved with hair stylist Jay Sebring, who agreed to invest in James’ music. In late 1968, James formed the rock band Salt and Pepper. James and S&P member Ed Roth later were included in Bruce Palmer’s solo album The Cycle is Complete. The duo also recorded as part of the group Heaven and Earth in Toronto. Heaven and Earth eventually changed their name to Great White Cane and recorded an album for Los Angeles label, Lion Records, in 1972, though it was later shelved. James formed another band, Hot Lips, afterwards. In 1973, James signed with A&M Records, where his first single under the name Rick James, “My Mama”, was released, becoming a club hit in Europe. In 1976, James returned to Buffalo, New York, and formed the Stone City Band and recorded the song “Get Up and Dance!”, which was his second single to be released. In 1977, James and the Stone City Band signed a contract with Motown’s Gordy Records imprint, where they began recording their first album in New York City. Solo career In April 1978, James released his debut solo album, Come Get It!, which included the Stone City Band. The album launched the top 20 hit, “You and I”, which became his first number-one R&B hit. The album also included the hit single, “Mary Jane”. It eventually sold two million copies, launching James’ musical career to stardom, and helping out Motown Records at a time when label fortunes had dwindled. In early 1979, James’ second album, Bustin’ Out of L Seven, followed the previous album’s success, eventually selling a million copies. A third album, Fire It Up, was released in late 1979 going gold. Around that same period, James launched his first headlining tour, the Fire It Up Tour, and agreed to invite the then-upcoming artist, Prince, as well as singer Teena Marie, as his opening act. James had produced Marie’s successful Motown debut album, Wild and Peaceful and was featured on the hit duet, “I’m a Sucker (For Your Love)”. James was credited with naming Marie, “Lady Tee”, on the song, a nickname that stuck with Marie for the rest of her career. The Fire It Up tour led to James developing a bitter rivalry with Prince, after he accused the musician for ripping off his act. Following the end of the tour in 1980, James released the ballads-heavy Garden of Love, which became his fourth gold record. In 1981, James recorded his best-selling album to date, Street Songs, which like his previous four albums, was a concept album. Street Songs featured a fusion mix of different genres, including rock and new wave, as well as James’ brand of crossover funk, enabling James’ own style of “punk funk”. The album featured hit singles such as “Ghetto Life”, the Teena Marie duet “Fire and Desire”, “Give It to Me Baby”, and his biggest crossover hit to date, “Super Freak”, which peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and sold over a million copies. Street Songs peaked at number one R&B and number three pop, and sold over three million copies alone in the United States. Following up that success, James released two more gold albums, 1982's Throwin’ Down and 1983's Cold Blooded. During this period, envious of Prince’s success as producer of other acts including The Time and Vanity 6, James launched the acts Process and the Doo-Rags, and the Mary Jane Girls, featuring his former background singer Joanne “JoJo” McDuffie as the lead vocalist and background performer, finding success with the latter group, due to the hits, “All Night Long”, “Candy Man”, and “In My House”. In 1982, James produced the Temptations’ Top Ten R&B hit, “Standing On The Top”. In 1983, James recorded the hit duet, “Ebony Eyes”, with singer Smokey Robinson. In 1985, James produced another hit for entertainer Eddie Murphy with the song “Party All The Time”. That same year he appeared on an episode of The A-Team with Isaac Hayes. After the release of his ninth solo album, The Flag, in 1986, James signed with Warner Bros. Records, which released the album Wonderful in 1988, featuring the hit, “Loosey’s Rap”. James’ controversial and provocative image became troublesome sometimes. During his heyday, James had presented his songs to the then-fledging music video channel, MTV, only to be turned down because James’ music didn’t fit the network’s rock playlist. James accused the network of racism. When MTV and BET both avoided playing the video for “Loosey’s Rap” because of its graphic sexual content, James considered the networks hypocritical in light of them still playing provocative videos by Madonna and Cher. In 1989, James’ eleventh album, Kickin’, was released only in the UK. By 1990, he had lost his deal with Warner Bros. and James began struggling with personal and legal troubles. That year MC Hammer released his hit signature song, “U Can’t Touch This”, which sampled the prominent opening riff from “Super Freak”. James and his co-writer on “Super Freak”, Alonzo Miller, successfully sued Hammer for shared songwriting credit and all three consequently received the 1990 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. In 1997, James released Urban Rapsody, his first album since his release from prison on assault charges, and he toured to promote the album. That same year, he discussed his life and career in interviews for the VH1 musical documentary series, Behind the Music, which aired in early 1998. James’ musical career slowed again after he suffered a minor stroke during a concert. In 1999, James accepted an offer by Eddie Murphy himself to appear in his film, Life. Personal life Relationships and children James had three children. With Syville Morgan, a former singer and songwriter, he had daughter Ty and son Rick, Jr. In 1989, James met 17-year-old partygoer Tanya Hijazi. The two began a romance in 1990. In 1993, the couple welcomed the arrival of their only child and James’ youngest, Tazman. Following their releases from prison for assaulting Mary Sauger and Frances Alley, the couple married in 1996 and divorced in 2002. James was very close with Teena Marie, whom he met and began collaborating with in 1979. While James had denied that the two were romantically involved, Teena Marie stated they were romantically involved and engaged “for two weeks”. Their professional partnership lasted into 2004, when Marie released her comeback album, La Dona, which included her and James’ duet “I Got You”. When James died, Teena Marie said she struggled to come to terms with his death. Notable friendships James became close friends with Eddie Murphy after the two met in 1981. Following his exit from the United States Navy in 1984, Murphy’s older brother Charlie Murphy, whose first post-Navy job was working as security for his famous brother, began hanging out with James, and he bonded with the singer. Murphy would later recall on Chappelle’s Show his sometimes strained relationship with James, which helped to revive James’ name in the public eye after years of seclusion, following his mild stroke in 1998. James also appeared in the episode recounting his memory of the experiences shared by Charlie, such as starting impromptu fights with him and staining Eddie Murphy’s couch with mud. James was also a friend of fellow Motown acts Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, one of the singers James idolized as a teenager. Additionally, he befriended Gaye’s second wife, Janis, and he was godfather of Gaye’s daughter Nona. James’ relationship with Robinson began shortly after James signed with Motown and, in 1983, the duo recorded the hit “Ebony Eyes.” James also idolized former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin and Ruffin’s self-proclaimed uncle, bass vocalist Melvin Franklin, and grabbed at the chance to produce the hit “Standing on the Top” for them in 1982. Before that, the then-current lineup of the group recorded background vocals on two James-associated projects – James' Street Songs (singing “Ghetto Life” and “Super Freak”) and Teena Marie's It Must Be Magic (singing on the title track). In “Super Freak,” “It Must Be Magic,” and “Standing On The Top”, James famously shouted out, “Temptations SING!” Drug abuse and health problems James’ lifelong drug abuse began in his teens, first with marijuana and heroin. James began using cocaine in the late 1960s. His cocaine use became an addiction by the 1980s, and he began freebasing by the end of the decade. James recalled smoking crack cocaine in his Beverly Hills mansion and often had aluminum foil on the windows to escape onlookers. His drug use led to health issues that impacted his life. In April 1984, he was hospitalized after being found unconscious in the middle of his house by a friend. James claimed he quit cocaine when he entered prison, although cocaine would later be found in his bloodstream following his autopsy. Legal troubles The start of the 1990s brought with it a string of bizarre and sometimes horrific troubles for James. His drug use was by this time public knowledge. He was mainly addicted to cocaine and later admitted to spending about US$7,000 per week on drugs for five years straight. In 1993, he and future wife Tanya Hijazi were accused of holding 24-year-old Frances Alley hostage for up to six days although accounts vary on how long she was actually held, tying her up, forcing her to perform sexual acts, and burning her legs and abdomen with the hot end of a crack cocaine pipe, during a week-long cocaine binge. In 1993, while out on bail for that earlier incident, James, under the influence of cocaine, assaulted music executive Mary Sauger at the St. James Club and Hotel in West Hollywood. Sauger claims she met James and Hijazi for a business meeting, but said the two then kidnapped and beat her over a 20-hour period. He was found guilty of both offenses but was cleared of a torture charge in the crack pipe incident that could have put him in prison for the rest of his life. He served two years in Folsom Prison and lost a civil suit to Sauger, who was awarded US$2 million. He was released from prison in 1996. In 1998, James was accused of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman, though charges were later dropped. Final years Chappelle’s Show In early 2004, James participated in a comedy sketch on Chappelle’s Show, in a segment called “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories”. James and Murphy recounted humorous stories of their experiences together during the early 1980s. During the sketch, James’ character, played by Dave Chappelle, utters the now famous catchphrase, “I’m Rick James, bitch!” The sketches were punctuated by James, as himself, explaining his past behavior with the phrase, “Cocaine is a hell of a drug!” Autobiography and final music projectsAutobiography At the time of his death, James was working on an autobiography, The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak, as well as a new album. The book was finally published toward the end of 2007 by Colossus Books and features a picture of his tombstone. David Ritz, who had been employed by James to work on the book with him, later said that this version did not truly reflect how the musician wanted it published. In 2014, Ritz published his own, re-edited version, Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James. Final music projects He was also supporting Teena Marie’s tour of her album La Doña and toured with her in May 2004, playing with her at the KBLX Stone Soul Picnic, Pioneer Amphitheatre, Hayward, California. Death On the morning of August 6, 2004, James’ caretaker found him dead in James’ Los Angeles home at the Oakwood Toluca Hills apartment complex, just outside Burbank. He had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure, associated with his various health conditions of diabetes, a stroke, pacemaker, and heart attack. His autopsy found alprazolam, diazepam, bupropion, citalopram, hydrocodone, digoxin, chlorpheniramine, methamphetamine, and cocaine in his blood. However, the coroner stated that “none of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life-threatening in and of themselves”. James was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. His two-ton, jet black headstone is engraved with the following lyrics to an unreleased song: “I’ve had it all, I’ve done it all, I’ve seen it all. It’s all about love – God is love.” Digital releases James’ entire Motown Records back catalogue was released in 2014 on iTunes for the very first time in digitally remastered form. This marks the first time many of his albums have been widely available since their initial release. Physical copies of James’ albums, namely Fire It Up, Garden of Love and The Flag, have become rare and highly sought after by fans. 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)

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