Rick James

Rick James, born James Ambrose Johnson Jr. on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, and passing away on August 6, 2004, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who became one of the defining architects of funk in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Influenced by Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, he started out singing doo-wop and R&B as a teenager before deserting the U.S. Navy and relocating to Toronto, where he co-founded the band The Mynah Birds with a lineup that at one point included a young Neil Young.

After serving time for military desertion and working under Motown as a songwriter using the name Ricky Matthews, James signed to Motown's Gordy Records imprint and released his debut album Come Get It! in 1978, which sold over two million copies and launched what he branded «punk-funk», a raw, sexually charged fusion of funk, rock, and soul built around thick basslines and party-ready grooves. His biggest hit, «Super Freak» from 1981, became a genre-defining anthem later sampled extensively in hip-hop, most famously by MC Hammer.

James also produced and wrote for other artists, most notably launching the Mary Jane Girls and working closely with Teena Marie, becoming a key figure bridging funk, R&B, and the emerging sounds of early-80s Black pop music.