Rick James

The Freaky One.

Founded

February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, New York

Full Name

James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.

Date of Birth

February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, New York

Still Alive

Date of Death

August 6, 2004 in Los Angeles, California

Influenced By

Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, The Temptations

Later Influenced

R&B, Hip Hop

Rick James and The Mary Jane Girls

About The artist

Rick James help resuscitate the fortunes of Motown Records in the late 1970s with a string of funky hits he recorded himself and wrote and/or produced for including Teena Marie, the Mary Jane Girls, The Temptations, Eddie Murphy, and Smokey Robinson.

Did you know...

Rick James moved to Toronto, Canada in 1964 to avoid being sent to serve in the Vietnam War. While there, he formed the band the Mynah Birds, whose lineup included Bruce Campbell of Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young.