THE ASCAP RHYTHM & SOUL HERITAGE AWARD HONORING RICK JAMES

In his milestone career, ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Heritage Award honoree Rick James has redefined the parameters of popular music with thunderous funk, irresistible hooks and infinite personality. "A lot of the stuff I write is just everyday stuff. I don't write anything I can't relate to," claims James. "My songs are danceable, happy, dramatic. People like to hear love songs, so I write a lot of those. Dance songs, party songs, let's have sex songs -- that's what the world is all about." James remembers the impact that "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers had on him as a boy. Writing his own songs at age 11, it was undeniable that songwriting would hold a key to his future.

Rick James was born James Johnson Jr. in Buffalo, New York, where his mother, a maid and occasional numbers runner, raised him and seven siblings in a strict household. He notes that contrary to one of his best-known lyrics, he could take any girl home to momma. "She might've had leprosy and my mother still would have accepted her." He enlisted in the army at age 15, but spent a subsequent period AWOL in Canada.   While in Canada, he was a charter member of The Mynah Birds, a Toronto band with Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, later founding members of Buffalo Springfield, and Goldie McJohn, of the rock band Steppenwolf. Signed to Motown, the band recorded, but never released a record. He was now rechristened Rick James, and he spent his post-Canada years commuting between London, where he fronted a blues band, and the U.S., where he penned songs as a Motown staff writer.

When he began grafting low end funk onto hook-laden pop, there was no genre expansive enough to contain Rick James, so he handily invented his own: "funk 'n' roll," alternately dubbed "punk-funk." Whatever the definition, it was a sound in tune with the times. His Motown/Gordy debut, Come Get It, with two hit singles, "You and I" and "Mary Jane," introduced James as a multi-faceted songwriter/artist/producer. With Bustin' Out Of L Seven, James embarked on his first U.S. tour with the Mary Jane girls, the female group he formed and produced. After Garden of Love, an atypically ballad-heavy album, he returned with an explosive tour de force, Street Songs, a double-platinum opus that hovered in the Top 100 Album chart for 54 weeks and contained his career-defining smash, "Super Freak."

Hooks are the most integral lyrical element for James. "You can say a lot of things musically, use innuendoes, entendres, or just talk and tell the story, but when you get to the hook, that sums up everything -- that's the part people are going to remember. I always want something to stay in their minds. In some songs I don't use hooks, but the ones where I do are the biggest hits. A strong hook line is something someone never forgets."

Thanks to sampling, the tantalizing grooves of Rick James have been recast into hits by successive generations of creators. He's characterized himself as "the most sampled artist in history," and this is not merely a boast: Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Salt n Pepa, Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez and ODB have all ridden his grooves to the top of the charts, and of course, the biggest rap record of all time, Hammer's "U Can't Touch This," is distilled from "Super Freak." But James, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, observes there is a clear disparity between creating music with real instruments and the techniques of sampling. "Musicianship is playing guitar, piano and writing a song, the way we did it in the past. Right now, unfortunately, instruments are being taken out of schools. That's not giving kids a chance to learn harmony and theory; all of the things we had to learn that made music so interesting. Now, they're just finding an old Rick James, Isley Brothers or Earth, Wind & Fire record, taking a piece and putting a beat to it."

In his illustrious, multi-decade career, James notes that one of his proudest accomplishments was joining the seven members of The Temptations -- including his uncle, Melvin Franklin -- on "Standing on the Top" for their Reunion album. "That was probably the most incredible moment of my musical life," he says. "And working with Smokey Robinson on the song "Ebony Eyes" was a tremendous thrill." He also reflects on his late mother's loving support. "Watching the smile on my mother's face when we would sell out a 20,000 seat venue in Buffalo, where they named a street after me -- these were proud moments."

Rick James has flaunted mythical excesses as a rock star, endured catastrophic career challenges as a result and lived through the darkness to emerge into the light. He shares that with his maturation as an artist and a person, he's now writing more introspective songs. Still, there is no simple formula or easy paradigm in the mysterious complexities of song crafting. "There are so many different ways that the spirit comes to me in music," he explains. "I'll wake up from a dream and I'll grab my ax. There's no one, two or three ways -- when the spirit moves you, the music grooves you."

James, who has won numerous accolades in his storied career, maintains that the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award is a profound honor.   "Because it's an award from my peers," he says. And James, who has survived a devastating stroke, hip surgery and heart failure, affirms that ASCAP's support, both financial and emotional, has been vital not only to his artistry, but also to his health. "I've never been involved with an organization who was so open to the needs of its members. This is the most important award I've ever received. I owe my life to ASCAP."

ASCAP is proud to present The Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award to Rick James for his outstanding achievements as a songwriter, artist and producer whose innovative style continues to influence and inspire the world of music.                            

by Dan Kimpel

Partial Discography Album Title Come Get It! (1978) Burstin' Out Of L Seven (1979) Garden Of Love (1980) Street Songs (1981) Throwin’ Down (1982) Cold Blooded (1983) Glow (1985) GRAMMY Award Year: 1990 Award Type: R&B Song Track: Can’t Touch This

Billboard Top Ten Singles Year 1978 1978 1979 1981 1981 1982 1982 1983 1985 1985 Single Mary Jane You And I Bustin’ Out Give It To Me Baby Super Freak (Part I) Dance Wit’ Me - Part I Standing On The Top - Part I Cold Blooded Can't Stop Glow Chart Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Highest Position No. 3 No. 1 No. 8 No. 1 No. 3 No. 3 No. 6 No. 1 No. 10 No. 5 "...and of course the biggest rap record of all time, Hammer's "U Can't Touch This"..."