Throwback Thursday #BlackHistoryMonth Edition - Rick James
This day in Black History, the great funky singer Rick James was born in 1948. James gave us great hits like "Give It To Me Baby", "Mary Jane" and "Superfreak". He had this animated, mystical, charismatic, outrageous and provocative way that he carried himself when he was on stage. He was undeniably one of the greats in music, so much so that his hits are still played on the radio today. To celebrate him here are some interesting facts about the singer.
He is the nephew of Melvin Franklin (original member of The Temptations)
At age 15 he joined the Navy
He was a staff songwriter for Motown most of the 70s
Prince toured with him in his first 2 tours as his opening act
He wrote and produced Eddie Murphy's "Part All The Time"
Got his first and only Grammy for being co-writer of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This"
Artists that have sampled his music include: Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Coolio and more
So thank you Rick James for contributing so much to music and Happy Birthday!