Last night I read on www.theguardian.com about a new music documentary, Bitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, will be released soon, but ONLY (WHY???) on Showtime. James Ambrose Johnson Jr, aka, Rick James, rocked my world as an upperclassman at North Park College. Aerosmith, step aside, and let me funk to Street Songs, which included the funkiest tune I had ever heard, i.e., “Super Freak,” and Cold Blooded. Rick James: we know his story of funk, sex, drugs, and jail.
What I did not realize 1) was Rick James’ age – he was born in 1948!, 2) was a petty criminal as a teen, and 3) in 1964, he avoided the draft, leaving Buffalo NY and going AWOL to Toronto. The article mentioned that James got attacked by “three drunk men” (presumably white), but one guy that came to aid James was Levon Helm. James and Helm started a friendship and he introduced James to some local musicians named Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. James then formed the Mynah Birds. At one point, future Steppenwolf member Nick St. Nicholas joined Mynah Birds as did Neil Young. According to The Guardian, “Clips of the Mynah Birds on YouTube show James singing in a style that could recall a young Mick Jagger. ‘“At heart, Rick was a rock’n’roller,”’ said Bitchin’ Director, Sacha Jenkins.
Before Rick James entered my orbit, he included Prince and Teena Marie as warm-up acts on one tour with his Stone City Band. www.princevault.com reveals the tour played two gigs at Chicago’s Uptown Theater in February 1980. Then came Street Songs in 1981! Street Songs peaked at number one on the R&B chart, number three on the pop chart, and sold millions of copies. The success fueled an addiction to cocaine, which led to crack. In 1991, Rick James and his girlfriend were arrested on a myriad of charges related to a week-long crack binge during which time they imprisoned/kidnapped/tortured/sexually assaulted another woman or as Outkast sings, “Let’s hit the attic and hide out for ‘bout two weeks, Rick James-ing.” James served almost three years in jail, being released in 1996. His death of heart failure was obviously a product of his partying. In this connection, James became easy fodder for Dave Chappelle and Charlie Murphy on The Chappelle Show.
The Chapelle Show – “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” Rick James Outakes – YouTube
If I ever actually see the movie, I will be keenly interested to see what kind of balance Jenkins blends between James’ musical creativity: Super Freak (12″ Version) – YouTube VERSUS his complete downfall: Rick James Extended Interview Pt. 1 – YouTube
