James Ingram

Lore & Background

Ingram was born in Akron, Ohio, and attended Akron's East High School. He received a track scholarship to the University of Akron, then moved to Los Angeles and played with the band Revelation Funk, which appeared in the film Dolemite. He later played keyboards for Ray Charles. His first publishing deal was with 20th Century Fox, where he sang the $50 demo for 'Just Once'.

Reader's Guide

Ingram provided vocals to 'Just Once' and 'One Hundred Ways' on Quincy Jones's 1981 album The Dude, earning triple Grammy nominations. 'One Hundred Ways' won him the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. His debut album It's Your Night was released in 1983. He scored two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: 'Baby, Come to Me' (duet with Patti Austin, 1983) and 'I Don't Have the Heart' (1990). He co-wrote 'The Day I Fall in Love' from Beethoven's 2nd and 'Look What Love Has Done' from Junior, both earning Oscar nominations. He died of brain cancer in Los Angeles on January 29, 2019, at age 66.

Did You Know?

• Ingram won a Grammy for 'Yah Mo B There', a duet with Michael McDonald.
• He sang 'Somewhere Out There' with Linda Ronstadt for the film An American Tail, which won the 1987 Grammy for Song of the Year.
• Ingram co-wrote Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)' with Quincy Jones.
• He appeared on the TV show SCTV in 1981 and on Suburgatory in 2012.