An accomplished songwriter and keyboardist known most for his rich and smooth tenor voice -- plus an astonishing howl. Having spent several years performing in gospel and funk groups and supporting the likes of Ray Charles and Leon Haywood, Ingram inched toward fame in 1980, the year he first hit the Billboard R&B chart as a writer (Carl Carlton's "This Feeling's Rated X-Tra") and vocalist (Zingara's "Love's Calling"). These moves immediately preceded a strong alliance with Quincy Jones. A mainstream breakthrough was made in 1981 on Jones' The Dude, for which Ingram fronted "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways," resulting in his first three (of 14 total) Grammy nominations, as well as his first win, for Best R&B Vocal. Ingram went on to release five solo albums, beginning with the Top Ten R&B hit It's Your Night (1983). He had even greater pop success as a duet partner with the likes of Patti Austin ("Baby, Come to Me"), Michael McDonald (the Grammy-winning "Yah Mo B There"), and Linda Ronstadt ("Somewhere Out There"), and eventually topped the Hot 100 on his own with "I Don't Have the Heart" (1990). Ingram didn't record as frequently during the ensuing decades but collected additional accolades with prominent soundtrack duets beside Dolly Parton and Anita Baker. Before his death in 2019, he wrote a musical with Debbie Allen and released his fifth album, Stand (In the Light) (2008).
Dolemite As a youngster, Akron, Ohio native James Ingram taught himself to play piano and was part of his church choir. He co-wrote both sides of a 1973 single credited to the Christian All Stars of Akron. By his late teens, he had joined Revelation Funk, a local act who opened for Ohio Players and released a couple obscure singles. The band headed to Los Angeles and appeared in the 1975 blaxploitation film Dolemite, performing a song they contributed to the soundtrack, but they soon returned to the Midwest. Ingram opted to stay put and eked out a career as an L.A.-based session musician, musical director, and songwriter, and established himself through the end of the '70s by working in varying capacities with Ray Charles, Leon Haywood, Cuba Gooding, and High Inergy, among others. In August 1980, he scored his first charting single as a songwriter with Carl Carlton's "This Feeling's Rated X-Tra," written with Haywood.
Ingram was truly showcased as a lead vocalist first with Zingara, a group whose lone and self-titled album was written and produced entirely by Lamont Dozier. Ingram took the lead on the single "Love's Calling," a stirring ballad that entered Billboard's R&B chart the last week of 1980 and eventually reached number 29, despite being released by the miniscule Wheel label. Ingram's breakthrough continued through 1981. Floored by the singer on a demo recording of a Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil ballad titled "Just Once," Quincy Jones got in touch and initiated a lasting association. In March 1981, Jones released The Dude, for which Ingram provided lead vocals on the title track and its biggest singles, "Just Once" (number 17 pop, number 11 R&B) and "One Hundred Ways" (number 14 pop, number 10 R&B). Ingram's performances on both songs were nominated for Grammys.
Among his work with Quincy Jones was Patti Austin's Every Home Should
Ingram was also part of the all-star team that made Michael Jackson's Thriller. He co-wrote and performed on "P.Y.T.," the blockbuster LP's penultimate single, released in 1983. The same year, his and Austin's second duet, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing? Ingram's debut solo album for Quincy Jones' Warner Bros.-supported Qwest label. The Top Ten R&B LP, released in July 1983, featured "Party Animal" (number 21 R&B) and the Michael McDonald collaboration "Yah Mo B There
Never Felt So Good Brighter spotlight notwithstanding, Ingram didn't forgo commissioned work behind the scenes. Ingram-assisted recordings by George Benson, Nancy Wilson, the Pointer Sisters, Jeffrey Osborne, Kenny Rogers.
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