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design by Ginny Livingston
logo design by Norman Moore
photo by Ron Slenzak
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Rick James
was born in Buffalo, New York on this date in 1948; he was an American singer-songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known for his hit single, Super Freak. I remember dancing madly to it at discos in the early eighties.
Rick James ~ Super Freak 12" 45
Side 1, in album sleeve
photo by Styrous®
In 1981, James released his most successful album, Street Songs, which included career-defining hits such as Give It to Me Baby and this song, Super Freak, which became his biggest crossover single, mixing elements of funk, disco, rock and new wave.
James also had a successful career as a songwriter and producer for other artists including Teena Marie, the Mary Jane Girls, the Temptations, Eddie Murphy and Smokey Robinson.
James' mainstream success had peaked by the ttime of the release of his album Glow in 1985 and his appearance on the popular TV show, The A-Team. His subsequent album releases failed to sell as well as their predecessors.
Rapper MC Hammer sampled James' Super Freak for his 1990 hit, U Can't Touch This which won Best R&B Song at the 1991 Grammy Awards. James received his only Grammy for composing the song.
By the early 1990s, James' career was hampered by his drug addiction
and he was embroiled with legal issues. In 1993, James was convicted for
two separate instances of kidnapping and torturing two different women
while under the influence of crack cocaine, resulting in a three-year sentence at Folsom State Prison. James was released on parole in 1996 and released the album Urban Rapsody
in 1997. James' health problems halted his career again after he had a
mild stroke during a concert in 1998, and he announced a
semi-retirement.
photo by Mark Weiss/WireImage
On the morning of August 6, 2004, James' caretaker found him dead in his
Los Angeles home at the Oakwood Toluca Hills apartment complex, just
outside Burbank. He had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure, associated with his various health conditions of diabetes, a stroke, pacemaker, and heart attack.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A - Super Freak (Disco Mix) - 7:05
Side 2:
B - Super Freak (Pt. 1) - 3:18
Companies, etc.
Side 1:
A - Super Freak (Disco Mix) - 7:05
Side 2:
B - Super Freak (Pt. 1) - 3:18
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Motown Record Corporation
Manufactured By – RCA Ltd.
Distributed By – RCA Ltd.
Published By – Jobete Music (UK) Ltd.
Manufactured By – RCA Ltd.
Distributed By – RCA Ltd.
Published By – Jobete Music (UK) Ltd.
Credits:
Arranged By – Rick James
Arranged By [String] – Daniel LeMelle, Reggie Andrews, Rick James
Executive-Producer – Alonzo Miller
Producer – Rick James
Written-By – A. Miller*, Rick James
Arranged By – Rick James
Arranged By [String] – Daniel LeMelle, Reggie Andrews, Rick James
Executive-Producer – Alonzo Miller
Producer – Rick James
Written-By – A. Miller*, Rick James
Notes:
From The Album "Street Songs" G8-1002M1
Rick James – Super Freak
Label: Motown – TMGT 1241
Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco, Funk
Label: Motown – TMGT 1241
Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco, Funk
Viewfinder links:
Global Grind ~ I’m Rick James B*tch: 6 of His Wildest Moments
RollingStone ~ From Dali to Bestiality: 10 Stories in Rick James’ Memoir
udiscover music ~ Super Freaky: The Life Of Badass Rick James
YouTube links:
Music ~
Rick James ~
The Insane Story Of Rick James (documentary)
Styrous® ~ Monday, September 7, 2020
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