James Ingram
 |
James Ingram | |
|---|---|
 Ingram (left) with Dave Koz (right) in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Edward Ingram |
| Born | February 16, 1952 Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Genres | R&B, pop, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer, actor |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | Qwest, Intering |
| Website | jamesingramsmusic |
James Edward Ingram (born February 16, 1952)[1] is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He is a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song.
Since beginning his career in 1973, Ingram has charted eight Top 40 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart from the early 1980s until the early 1990s, as well as thirteen top 40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In addition, he charted 20 hits on the Adult Contemporary chart (including two number-ones). He had two number-one singles on the Hot 100: the first, a duet with fellow R&B artist Patti Austin, 1982's "Baby, Come to Me" topped the U.S. pop chart in 1983; "I Don't Have the Heart", which became his second number-one in 1990 was his only number-one as a solo artist. In between these hits, he also recorded the song "Somewhere Out There" with fellow recording artist Linda Ronstadt for the animated film An American Tail. The song and the music video both became gigantic hits. Ingram co-wrote "The Day I Fall in Love", from the motion picture Beethoven's 2nd (1993), and singer Patty Smyth's "Look What Love Has Done", from the motion picture Junior (1994), which earned him nominations for Best Original Song from the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammy Awards in 1994 and 1995.
Biography
Early life
Born in Akron, Ohio, Ingram lived with his mother and father until he was 10 years old, then moved in with his grandmother. He later moved to Los Angeles and played with the band Revelation Funk, which made an appearance in the Rudy Ray Moore film Dolemite. He also later played keyboards for Ray Charles before becoming famous. Meanwhile, his younger brother, Phillip Ingram, became prominent as a member of the Motown group, Switch.
Career
In 1981, Ingram provided the vocals to "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" on Quincy Jones's album The Dude, which earned him triple Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. "One Hundred Ways" won him the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his work. On December 11, 1981, Ingram appeared as a guest on the Canadian comedy series SCTV (aired on NBC), singing "Just Once".[2] Ingram's debut album, It's Your Night, appeared in 1983, including the ballad "There's No Easy Way". He also worked with other notable artists such as Donna Summer, Ray Charles, Anita Baker, Viktor Lazlo, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, and Kenny Rogers. In October 1990, he scored a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the love ballad "I Don't Have the Heart",[3] from his It's Real album.
In 1984, Ingram received three Grammy nominations: "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (his second duet with recording artist Patti Austin), for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals; the US Top 10 single, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" for Michael Jackson which he and Quincy Jones co-wrote, for Best R&B Song; and the track "Party Animal" for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In early 1985, he was again triple nominated, for his debut album for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and its single, "Yah Mo B There" (a duet with fellow R&B musician Michael McDonald), for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, winning the latter.
Ingram is perhaps best known for his hit collaborations with other vocalists. He scored a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 chart in February 1983 with Patti Austin on the duet "Baby, Come to Me",[4] a song made popular on TV's General Hospital. A second Austin–Ingram duet, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?", was featured in the movie Best Friends and earned an Oscar nomination. A few years later, he won a 1985 Grammy Award for "Yah Mo B There", a duet with Michael McDonald. And he teamed up with Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes for the Top 40 ballad "What About Me?" in 1984. In 1985, he participated in the charity single "We Are the World".
Ingram teamed with American vocalist Linda Ronstadt and had a top ten hit in the U.S. and the U.K. in 1987[5] with "Somewhere Out There", the theme from the animated feature film An American Tail. The song was awarded the 1987 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. It also received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. It was one of the last million-selling Gold-certified 45 RPM singles to be issued by the RIAA.
In the 1990s, his highest-profile team-up came again with Quincy Jones, on the song "The Secret Garden". This song also featured vocals by Barry White, El Debarge, and Al B. Sure!.
Soundtrack songs were popular for Ingram in the 1990s. From the movie Sarafina! came "One More Time", and from City Slickers came "Where Did My Heart Go?". In 1991, he and Melissa Manchester did the song The Brightest Star on the cartoon Christmas movie Precious Moments Timmy's Gift. In 1993, he and Melissa Manchester did the song The Brightest Star again another cartoon Christmas movie Precious Moments Timmy's Special Delivery. His 1994 composition "The Day I Fall in Love", a duet with Dolly Parton, was the theme song for the movie Beethoven's 2nd and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Ingram and Parton performed the song live on the Oscar broadcast. In 1997, he collaborated with Carnie Wilson, writing the song "Our Time Has Come", and lent it to the animated film Cats Don't Dance.
During the summer of 2004, Ingram participated in the U.S. television reality show Celebrity Duets as a duet partner. The show combined professional vocalists, of different musical genre, with entertainers of different backgrounds in a weekly elimination competition. In 2006, he and neo-soul singer Angie Stone teamed up on "My People".
In 2011, Ingram joined Cliff Richard's list of special guest performers on his Soulicious Tour performing at various UK venues during November. He sang two songs from the album with Richard, as well a solo of "Just Once".[6]
In 2012, Ingram appeared as himself in the ABC television show Suburgatory, in the episode entitled "The Motherload". Also in 2012, he was a guest vocalist at Debbie Allen's October 13 live show at the corner of Crenshaw Blvd. and Martin Luther King Blvd. celebrating the arrival of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, singing R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions[7][8][9] | U.S. certifications[10] |
Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Gospel |
UK | ||||
| 1983 | It's Your Night | 46 | 10 | — | 25 | Gold | Qwest/Warner Bros. |
| 1986 | Never Felt So Good | 123 | 37 | — | 72 | — | |
| 1989 | It's Real | 117 | 44 | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | Always You | — | 74 | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | Stand | — | 63 | 18 | — | — | Intering |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart, was not released, or was not certified | |||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions[7][8] | U.S. certifications[10] |
Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||||
| 1991 | Greatest Hits: The Power of Great Music | 168 | — | Gold | Qwest/Warner Bros. | ||
| 1999 | Forever More (Love Songs, Hits & Duets) | 165 | 94 | — | Private Music | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart, was not released, or was not certified | |||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions[7][8][9] | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US A/C |
UK | |||
| 1981 | "Just Once" (with Quincy Jones) | 17 | 11 | 7 | — | The Dude |
| "One Hundred Ways" (with Quincy Jones) | 14 | 10 | 5 | — | ||
| 1982 | "Baby, Come to Me" (with Patti Austin) | 73 | 37 | — | — | Every Home Should Have One |
| "Baby, Come to Me" (with Patti Austin) (re-release) | 1 | 9 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 1983 | "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (with Patti Austin) | 45 | 6 | 5 | — | It's Your Night |
| "Party Animal" | 101 | 21 | — | — | ||
| "Yah Mo B There" (with Michael McDonald) | 19 | 5 | — | 12 | ||
| 1984 | "There's No Easy Way" | 58 | 14 | 7 | — | |
| "She Loves Me (The Best That I Can)" | — | 59 | 19 | — | ||
| "What About Me?" (with Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes) | 15 | 57 | 1 | 92 | What About Me? | |
| 1985 | "It's Your Night" | — | — | — | 25 | It's Your Night |
| 1985 | "America (The Dream Goes On)" (with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra) | — | — | — | — | Boston Pops: America, The Dream Goes On |
| 1986 | "Always" | — | 27 | — | — | Never Felt So Good |
| "I Just Can't Let Go" (with David Pack & Michael McDonald) | — | — | 13 | — | Anywhere You Go | |
| "Never Felt So Good" | — | 86 | — | — | Never Felt So Good | |
| "Somewhere Out There" (with Linda Ronstadt) | 2 | — | 4 | 8 | An American Tail | |
| 1987 | "Better Way" | — | 66 | — | — | Beverly Hills Cop II |
| 1989 | "It's Real" | — | 8 | — | 83 | It's Real |
| "I Wanna Come Back" | — | 18 | — | — | ||
| "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man" | — | 30 | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" (with Quincy Jones feat. Al B. Sure!, El DeBarge and Barry White) | 31 | 1 | 26 | 67 | Back on the Block |
| "I Don't Have the Heart" | 1 | 53 | 2 | — | It's Real | |
| "When Was the Last Time the Music Made You Cry" | — | 81 | 29 | — | ||
| 1991 | "Where Did My Heart Go" | — | — | 23 | — | City Slickers |
| "Get Ready" | — | 59 | — | — | The Greatest Hits: The Power of Great Music | |
| 1993 | "Someone Like You" | — | — | 34 | — | Always You |
| 1994 | "The Day I Fall in Love" (with Dolly Parton) | — | — | 36 | 64 | Beethoven's 2nd |
| "I Don't Want to Be Alone for Christmas (Unless I'm Alone with You)" | — | — | — | — | A Very Merry Chipmunk | |
| 1995 | "When You Love Someone" (with Anita Baker) | 111 | 71 | 39 | — | Forget Paris |
| 1998 | "Give Me Forever (I Do)" (with John Tesh) | 66 | — | 5 | — | Pure Movies |
| 1999 | "Forever More (I'll Be the One)" (with John Tesh) | — | — | 12 | — | One World |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released | ||||||
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Mystery of Love" | Donna Summer | Donna Summer |
| 1985 | "We Are the World" | We Are the World | USA for Africa |
| 1992 | "One More Time" | Sarafina! Original Soundtrack | |
| 1994 | "Just Once" (live version) | Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume III[11] | |
| 1997 | "Wish You Were Here" | If I Had My Way | Nancy Wilson |
| 1997 | "Our Time Has Come" | Cats Don't Dance | with Carnie Wilson |
| 1999 | "What U Give U Get Back" | Eye II Eye | Scorpions |
| 2000 | "What About Me?" | Kenny Rogers & Friends | Kenny Rogers |
| 2001 | "One Gift" | In the Spirit: A Christmas Album | Michael McDonald |
| 2001 | "If You Really Need Me Now" | On the Way to Love | Patti Austin |
Filmography
- 1997: The Fearless Four as Buster (voice – English version)
- 2012: Suburgatory; himself (episode: "The Motherload")
- 2016: The Two Wedding as Michael Mercado
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Ingram has won two Grammy Awards out of fourteen nominations.[12]
Academy Award nominations
- 1994: Best Original Song for "The Day I Fall in Love" from the motion picture Beethoven's 2nd (shared with Cliff Magness and Carole Bayer Sager)
- 1995: Best Original Song for "Look What Love Has Done" the motion picture Junior (shared with Carole Bayer Sager, James Newton Howard and Patty Smyth)
Golden Globe Award nominations
- 1994: Best Original Song for "The Day I Fall in Love" (shared with Cliff Magness and Carole Bayer Sager)
- 1995: Best Original Song for "Look What Love Has Done" (shared with Carole Bayer Sager, James Newton Howard and Patty Smyth)
References
- ^ "Music Makers James Ingram". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ^ "Series 4 Cycle 2". SCTV Guide. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ "The Hot 100 : Oct 20, 1990 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ "The Hot 100 : Feb 19, 1983 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ "The Hot 100 : Mar 14, 1987 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. March 14, 1987. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – The Soulicious Tour". Cliff Richard Organisation. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "James Ingram US chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c "James Ingram US chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "James Ingram UK chart history". chartstats.com. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "James Ingram US certifications". riaa.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume III: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
- ^ "The 55th Grammys – Past Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
External links
- Official website
- James Ingram's blog on WordPress
- 1952 births
- African-American male singers
- African-American singer-songwriters
- African-American songwriters
- American singer-songwriters
- American male singers
- American singers
- Grammy Award winners
- Living people
- Musicians from Akron, Ohio
- Qwest Records artists
- Songwriters from Ohio
- Private Music artists
- Ballad musicians