Rick James Before Street Songs

Rick James was born James Johnson on February 1st, 1952. He was one of eight children and his mother raised them in the ‘ghetto’ of Buffalo, New York by herself. She said he was a wild child with big dreams, always thinking he would end up rich and famous. As a young man, James would steal cars and ride around with women, which got him sent to juvie multiple times. He left home to join the Navy and ended up running away to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. In Canada, he continued to make music and write songs. James’ first experience with making legitimate music was with his first band, The Mynah Birds, a rock group that also featured Neil Young and numerous other musicians.^[1]Goldberg, Michael. “Rick James: Sex, Street Smarts, and Success.” Rolling Stone. June 24, 1982. Neil Young and Rick James lived together as roommates and remained friends.

The Mynah Birds – Rick James second from the left, and Neil Young second from the right. Credit: Discogs.

Though The Mynah Birds were signed to Motown Records in 1966, their music was unreleased partially because of James’s dodging the Vietnam draft, which landed him a year in jail in the US.^[2]Runtagh, Jordan. “30 Fascinating Early Bands of Future Music Legends.” Rolling Stone, September 7, 2019. When James’ stint in jail was over, he went back to Motown as a songwriter and producer. While at Motown, he worked as a composer, writer, and producer, thus being exposed to genres like funk and soul.  During this time, James also traveled through the US and Europe, taking in a number of different musical styles. This later influenced the way that he mixed and created sound. He then moved back home to Buffalo in 1976 and started creating his own music. Throughout the mid-1970s, James became a solo musician, producing a handful of less-than-successful R&B singles until the release of the single “You and I” from his premiere album, Come and Get It! in 1978.^[3]Goldberg, Michael. “Rick James: Sex, Street Smarts, and Success.” Rolling Stone. June 24, 1982. Accessed February 12, 2020.

Following his next three albums, Rick James went on to release Street Songs in 1981, a concept album revolving around “ghetto life and growing up.” In a 1982 interview, James recalled that

“Everybody kept telling me I should go back to my roots. So I said fuck it, wrote about ghetto life and growing up and decided to call the album Street Songs. My attitude was that it was going to be the biggest album I ever had or it was going to be the worst album I ever had. Fortunately, it was the biggest.”^[4]Goldberg, Michael. “Rick James: Sex, Street Smarts, and Success.” Rolling Stone. June 24, 1982.

After having experienced childhood in the ghetto, James thought to use this album to reach out to those who could relate to this life experience. He channeled these experiences in Street Songs and the album became widely popular for its truthful and poignant messages. This album exemplifies his self-proclaimed genre of “punk-funk,” a mixture of rock, funk, soul, and jazz, characterized by the use of guitars, horns, synthesizers, and heavy lead vocals. 

Next, check out our analysis of Street Songs.