James Ambrose Johnson Jr. February 1, β August 6, , better known by his stage name Rick James , was an American singer, songwriter 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. Naval Reserve to avoid being drafted into the army. In , James moved to Toronto , Canada, where he formed the rock band The Mynah Birds , who eventually signed a recording deal with Motown Records in 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 s and early s.
After forming the locally popular Stone City Band in his hometown of Buffalo in , James finally found success as a recording artist after signing with Motown's Gordy Records , releasing the album Come Get It! In , James released his most successful album, Street Songs , which included career-defining hits such as " Give It to Me Baby " and " Super Freak ", the latter song becoming his biggest crossover single , mixing elements of funk, disco, rock, and new wave. James's mainstream success peaked by the release of his album Glow in and his appearance on the popular TV show, The A-Team.
His subsequent album releases failed to sell as well as their predecessors. James received his only Grammy for composing the song. In , he was convicted of two separate instances of kidnapping and assaulting two different women while under the influence of crack cocaine , resulting in a three-year sentence at Folsom State Prison.
He was released on parole in His health problems halted his career again after he had a mild stroke during a concert in , and he announced a semi-retirement. In , James's career returned to mainstream pop culture after he appeared in an episode of Chappelle's Show. The segment involved a Charlie Murphy True Hollywood Stories -style sketch that satirized James's wild lifestyle in the s. This resulted in renewed interest in his music and that year he returned to perform on the road.
