Forum Moderators: open
Rick James sang in the background of my teenage years, and as my teen years faded, so too Rick James faded away in my consciousness. With Rick James' passing, it feels as if a landmark of where I have been has also disappeared.
Yes, there are the jokes (his girlfriend couldn't make it to the funeral- she was tied up)... But what should be emphasized and remembered is that Rick James was a talented singer/songwriter who created his own sound- much as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Neil Young, and the Beatles all created their own style of music. When you hear one of their songs, there's no mistaking the provenance. There was nobody like Rick James before. There will never be another like him again.
If you like funky music that picks you up, and aren't familiar with Rick James, do yourself a favor and buy one of his compilation albums. You can't go wrong.
Goodbye Rick!
I'm Rick James B*tch!
Looked through one of my music resources (paper products - not web) and read this in the "Who's Who in Soul Music":
"...joined the US Navy as a teenager but fled to Canada without leave where he shared an apartment with Neil Young (who was unknown at the time). Rick and Neil formed a group, The Mynah Birds, and it was a Canadian Witch who told the then James Johnson to change his name to Rick."
Military service; desertion, paganism, witchcraft, & Neil Young. And that was just the start of his career...
Woooo! What a tapestry!
RIP
Syzygy
[thrasherswheat.org...]
