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His mother was a dancer for Katherine Dunham, and later ran errands for the Mafia to earn a living. James' father, an autoworker, left the family when James was ten. was born on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, to Mabel (née Sims) and James Ambrose Johnson, Sr. 2.5.2 Autobiography and final music projects.James died later that year from heart failure at age 56. James received new notoriety in 2004, when he appeared (as himself) in an episode of Chappelle's Show, in a Charlie Murphy "True Hollywood Stories" segment that satirized James' wild lifestyle. A mild stroke suffered during a concert in early 1998 interrupted his career for a brief time. James was released on parole in 1996, and resumed his musical career releasing the album, Urban Rapsody, in 1997. In the 1990s, his legal troubles, including kidnapping and torturing two women while under the influence of crack, led him to serve a three-year sentence at California's Folsom State Prison. In addition to his own success, James emerged as a successful songwriter and producer for other artists, such as Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, The Temptations, Eddie Murphy and Smokey Robinson.Ī drug addiction hampered his career in the late 1980s. Due to this success, James was often called the "king of punk funk", for his mix of funk, soul and underground-inspired rock music. After being credited as writer of the song, James became the 1991 recipient of a Best R&B Song Grammy for composing the song. His most popular album, 1981's Street Songs, launched him into superstardom thanks to the hit singles, " Give It to Me Baby" and " Super Freak", the latter song becoming his signature song, and the basis of MC Hammer's biggest hit, " U Can't Touch This." James eventually sued for back royalties. The album sold over two million copies, and launched his career as a funk and soul artist. In 1977, he signed with a Motown imprint, Gordy Records, as a recording artist, releasing his debut, Come Get It!, in April 1978.
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James began a series of rock bands in California, and worked for Motown as a songwriter under the alias "Ricky Matthews."
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Upon release, James moved to California to resume his career with the Mynah Birds until the group disbanded. Surrendering to military authorities, he served a one-year prison term. James' tenure with the group was interrupted after he was discovered recording a record for Motown Records in 1966. Navy to avoid being drafted, he deserted to Toronto, where he formed the rock and R&B band, The Mynah Birds, whose lineup included Bruce Palmer, Neil Young, and Nick St. Influenced by singers such as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, James started singing in doo-wop and R&B groups as a teenager in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. FebruTemplate:Spaced ndashAugust 6, 2004) was an American musician, composer and actor. Template:Other uses Template:Refimprove Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Template:Cleanup Rick James (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.