Rick James (Born James Johnson)
February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004
Although Rick James is best remembered for his funk classics, “Super Freak” and “Give It To Me Baby,” his first gig of note was the Canadian R&B band he shared with Neil Young and future Buffalo Springfield bassist, Bruce Palmer. It was 1964, and the group was the Mynah Birds. They signed to Motown, but before anything could happen, their disgruntled ex-manager informed the label that James was AWOL from the Navy, so the debut album was shelved and the group broke up. Young and Palmer moved to America (Los Angeles) and Buffalo Springfield were soon born. Meanwhile, James turned himself in and spent a year in the brig. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where, by the late ’70s, he was in the midst of his own solo career. In 1981 he released his break through album, Street Songs, which included the hits, “Give It To Me Baby,” and of course, “Super Freak,” which would cement his prominent place in funk. Special nod to MC Hammer for memorializing “Super Freak” in his mega-hit, “You Can’t Touch This.” By the early ’90s though, James’ career took a back seat to his widely publicized drug and legal problems. Addicted to crack, he was convicted to two years in prison for kidnap and sexual assault in a sensational case that also resulted in a $2 million dollar civil lawsuit against him. Failed comeback attempts followed his release from prison in 1996. And on August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment at the age of 56. The cause of death was ruled an enlarged heart even though he had a significant amount of drugs in his system, but not enough to have killed him.
What You Should Own
