Rick James

Rick James - Superfreak (1982)
Live in Germany some of his hand gestures are over the top. I have the full show. James' flamboyant lifestyle took its toll on his health and he was hospitalized several times between 1979 and 1984.

His career continued unabated, and he had major hits in 1984 and 1985 with the more relaxed "17" and "The Glow'. The latter also provided the title for a highly acclaimed album, which reflected James" decision to abandon the use of drugs, and move towards a more laid-back soul style.

He was angered by constant media comparisons of his work with that of Prince, and cancelled plans to star in an autobiographical film called The Spice Of Life in the wake of the overwhelming commercial impact of his rival's Purple Rain. After releasing The Flag in 1986, James ran into serious conflict with Motown over the status of his spin-off acts.

When they refused to release any further albums by the Mary Jane Girls, James left the label, signing to Reprise Records, where he immediately achieved a soul number 1 collaborating with Roxanne Shant‚ on "Loosey's Rap".James' drug problems had not disappeared and following years of abuse he was jailed in 1991, together with his girlfriend Tanya Hijazi, for various offences including dealing cocaine, assault and torture.

The King Of Funk confessed to Rolling Stone that at least by being in prison he "could not do drugs". He was released in 1996, and made his recording comeback the following year. On his 1998 comeback tour James suffered a stroke, and the same year he required hip replacement surgery. The artist was found dead at his Los Angeles home in August 2004. music.us