Rick James (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr; February 1, 1948 - August 6, 2004) was an American funk and soul musician, who worked as a singer, keyboardist, bassist, record producer, arranger, and composer during his long career. One of the most popular artists on the Motown label during the late 1970s and early 1980s, James was famous for his wild brand of funk music and his trademark cornrow braids, sporting them well before the style was popularized among white people by actress Bo Derek. As time went on, James was given the unofficial title
The King of Punk-Funk.
Born in Buffalo, New York, James was the third of eight children; his father was an autoworker who abandoned the family, and his mother was a former dancer. "She raised us strict Catholics", James recalled. His uncle was Melvin Franklin, the bass vocalist of The Temptations. Read more about ...
