A gifted r&b vocalist best known as a romantic balladeer, James Ingram was also an award-winning songwriter and producer who has sadly passed away on January 29th at the age of sixty-six. He had been quietly battling brain cancer. He is survived by his wife, Debra and they had been married since 1975.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Ingram sang in his church choir as a child and taught himself how to play the piano. Not long after finishing high school, he made his way to Los Angeles to try his luck as a professional musician. He played keyboards for several bands (including briefly backing for Ray Charles) and worked as a demo singer. It was during the time that Quincy Jones was looking for material for what would become his 1981 album, "The Dude" that would change the course of James Ingram’s career. Jones heard the demo for "Just Once", written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and he became not only interested in the song but also the singer. He used Ingram not only on that track but also "One Hundred Ways". Both songs became top-twenty hits and would help Ingram win his first Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Some other highlights in his musical career includes Ingram performing a duet with Patti Austin, another protégé of Quincy Jones, on the love ballad, "Baby, Come To Me" which became his first number one on the pop chart. The two paired up again for another love song, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" for the 1982 film, "Best Friends" which earned a Grammy and Oscar nomination. Ingram became a go-to artist for singing songs on movie soundtracks with his most notable being a duet with Linda Rondstadt with "Somewhere Out There" for the 1986 animated feature, "An American Tail". He was also nominated twice for a Best Original Song Oscar with the songs he co-wrote for the movies, "Beethoven's 2nd" (1993) and "Junior" (1994). And in 1990, Ingram received his second number one pop single and only one as a solo artist with "I Don't Have The Heart".
With a distinctive voice that could effortlessly go from a tender whisper to a passionate growl, James Ingram managed to deliver a heated sensuality to his songs of romance yet always kept it classy. He was a masterful talent whose contributions to music will greatly be missed. Here are a few of my personal favorites by the one and only James Ingram:
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