Rick James

In the late 1970s, when the fortunes of Motown Records seemed to be flagging, Rick James came along and rescued the company, providing funky hits that updated the label's style and saw it through into the mid-'80s. Actually, James had been with Motown earlier, though nothing had come of it. After growing up in Buffalo and running away to join the Naval Reserves, he left the Navy for Toronto, where he was in a band with future Buffalo Springfield members Neil Young and Bruce Palmer as well as Goldy McJohn, later of Steppenwolf. As the Mynah Birds, they signed to Motown and reco...