James Ambrose Johnson Jr., better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his teenage years. He was in various bands before entering the U.S. Navy Reserve to avoid being drafted into the army. In 1964, James deserted to Toronto, Canada, where he formed the rock band the Mynah Birds, who eventually signed a recording deal with Motown Records in 1966. James's career with the group halted after military authorities discovered his whereabouts and eventually convicted him of desertion related charges. He served several months in jail. After being released, James moved to California, where he started a variety of rock and funk groups in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Street Songs is the fifth studio album by American musician Rick James, released in April 1981 on Gordy Records. "Give It to Me Baby", the lead single from the album, became James' second number one single on the R&B chart, spending five weeks at the top spot. The fifth song on the album, "Super Freak", was also one of James' biggest hits. A Deluxe Edition was released in 2001 containing an additional 17 mixes and live versions of the album tracks. Although the song "Fire and Desire" was not originally released as a single, the song itself received much airplay on R&B radio stations and has since become a classic hit.
Come Get It! is the debut album by Rick James and the Stone City Band. It was released in April 1978 via the Motown sub-label Gordy Records. The singles "You and I" and "Mary Jane" propelled Come Get It! to gold status.
Bustin' Out of L Seven is Rick James' second studio album on Motown sub-label Gordy Records. Included on the album is the top ten R&B hit, "Bustin' Out ". L7 is slang for "square", as in the opening lyrics of "Bustin' Out ", "Well, alright, you squares, it's time you smoked, Fire up this funk and let's have a toke". The letter L and the number 7 form a square.
Fire It Up is the third studio album by American musician Rick James, released on October 16, 1979, on the Motown sub-label Gordy Records. This album was certified gold by the RIAA, and between 1978 and 1982 was a period where Rick James established himself as the historical bridge between P-Funk and Prince. Fire It Up was released on CD for the first time in 2010, by Universal Records. This item soon went out of print and has become a much sought after and very rare item for fans of Rick James and funk in general.
Throwin' Down is the 6th studio album by Rick James, released in 1982 via the Gordy imprint of Motown Records. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Although not as popular as Street Songs, Throwin' Down is certified gold by the RIAA. It was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Urban Rapsody is an album by the American funk singer Rick James. It was released through Mercury Records and Private-I Records in 1997, and was the last one released before his death. The album combines rap and funk.
Wonderful is the 10th studio album by American musician Rick James, released in 1988 via Reprise Records. It includes the hit song "Loosey's Rap", which topped the US R&B Charts.
"Party All the Time" is a song by comedian and actor Eddie Murphy, written and produced by Rick James. It was the lead single from Murphy's 1985 debut musical album How Could It Be. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, behind "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie.
Reunion is a 1982 album by The Temptations for Gordy Records. The album was released during the 1982 Temptations Reunion tour, which reunited David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks with the Temptations after a decade-long absence. The album also features then-current Temptations Dennis Edwards, Glenn Leonard, Richard Street, and founding members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. Reunion featured the single "Standing on the Top", produced by and featuring Motown funk star Rick James, who had previously used the Temptations as the background vocalists for his 1981 hit "Super Freak". It was their first album to reach the top 40 since Wings of Love (1976).
Wild and Peaceful is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie. Released on March 31, 1979 by Motown. It features significant contributions from Rick James who produced and wrote the bulk of material as well as providing co-vocals on "I'm a Sucker for Your Love".
Mary Jane Girls is the debut album released by girl group the Mary Jane Girls on the Gordy record label on April 13, 1983. It peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"You and I" is the debut single by R&B/funk musician Rick James, released in 1978 from his debut album, Come Get It!. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B charts and reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100. "You and I" also peaked at number three on the disco chart.
How Could It Be is the debut musical studio album by comedian/actor Eddie Murphy. The album was released on July 20, 1985, on Columbia Records and was produced by Aquil Fudge, with the exception of the hit top ten single "Party All the Time", which was produced by Rick James.
Only Four You is the second and final studio album by the American vocal girl group Mary Jane Girls, released on February 14, 1985. As with their debut album, Mary Jane Girls, the album was produced and written by Rick James.
It Must Be Magic is the fourth studio album by Teena Marie, released on May 14, 1981. It was her last album for Motown and the highest-selling of Marie's tenure with Motown. The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Black Albums chart and No. 23 on the Pop Albums chart.
Communards is the debut studio album by British synth-pop duo the Communards, released on 12 July 1986 by London Records. The album was produced by Mike Thorne, who had previously produced lead singer Jimmy Somerville's earlier band, Bronski Beat. Although the singles released ahead of the album were only moderately successful, the first single to be lifted from it after release, "Don't Leave Me This Way", topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the best-selling single in the UK that year. During the single's four-week run at number one, the album itself peaked at number seven, going on to spend a total of 45 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.
Motown Chartbusters is a series of compilation albums first released by EMI under licence on the Tamla Motown label in Britain. In total, 12 editions were released in the UK between 1967 and 1982. Volumes 1 and 2 were originally called British Motown Chartbusters; after this the title Motown Chartbusters was used.
Cold Blooded is the 7th studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Rick James, released on the Gordy Records imprint of Motown Records. The title track was written with actress Linda Blair in mind, whom James was dating at the time.
"Standing on the Top" is a funk song recorded by the Motown group The Temptations, written and produced by musician Rick James.
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