James Ingram

Multi-talented musician, producer, and songwriter James Ingram is one of contemporary music's premier artists. With his instantly recognizable vocal style, his rich, soulful sound has endeared him to audiences literally the world over.
One of six children, James is a self-taught musician who is adept at piano, guitar, bass, drums and synthesizer. Using his obvious musical skills, James Ingram became a member of a local band, Revelation Funk, often opening for The Ohio Players. The band headed out to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune in the early '70s; when things didn't pan out, members packed their bags and returned home to Ohio. Keyboard player James Ingram stayed behind and soon found himself working with the great Ray Charles. "He taught me more about this business than anybody in the industry," he says. James did a demo for ATV Music Co. and a person delivered it to Quincy Jones, pitching the song "Just Once." Ingram then began a working relationship with the musical icon that spanned several years. Initially, he was featured on several songs for Jones' 1981 multi platinum album "The Dude" which showcased James' talent on "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways," (Top 10 hits) which garnered James Ingram his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance in 1981. "Quincy gave me a chance to be a part of some of the greatest musical projects ever," he recalls. "He always pushed me to write, and I think I was fortunate to be able to share in some of the best music in Quincy's life." Some of that music included co-writing "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" one of the signature tunes on Michael Jackson's historic 1982 Thriller album (more than 50 million sold). That same year, James teamed up with label mate Patti Austin to record "Baby Come To Me," a #1 pop hit. Released in 1983, Ingram's debut album, "It's Your Night," (sold 850,000 copies) included "Yah Mo Be There," (Top 20 pop and Top 5 R&B) a collaboration with Michael McDonald, which went on to earn James his second Grammy Award in 1984. That same year, he teamed with Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes to record the Top 20 pop hit "What About Me." He then teamed up with Linda Ronstadt for "Somewhere Out There" in 1986, adding an astounding eleventh Grammy nomination to a recording career only in its fifth year.
1990 gave birth to yet another hit track produced on James' album "It's Real" by legendary producer and songwriter, Thom Bell. He provided James with his first solo number one pop hit: "I Don't Have The Heart" paving the way for more acclaim and recognition for the powerhouse vocalist. In 1993 James teamed up with Dolly Parton and David Foster to record "The Day I Fall In Love" for the film "Beethoven 2." As co-writer with Carole B. Sager, James earned an Academy Award nomination for "Best Song" in 1994. He and Carole B. Sager repeated the feat by writing "Look What Love Has Done," the love theme from the film "Junior" in 1995.
James Ingram brings down-on-the-ground realness and authenticity to every song he writes, sings or produces. That honest approach to music stems the balance James maintains between his career and his home life. Away from the stage and the recording studio, he is very much a family man: married to wife Debbie for more than twenty-five years and the father of six children, he divides his time between Los Angeles and a ten-acre mountain retreat. "Music's an important part of my life," he notes, "but it's not all my life...my family's my life."

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