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 before becoming famous. His first publishing deal was with 20th Century Fox, where he sang the $50 demo for 'Just Once'.

In Their Own Story

The studio lights hummed a low amber glow over the mixing board. Prince sat cross-legged on the couch, tapping a rhythm on his knee, while James Ingram stood at the mic with his eyes half-closed, the last note of the take still vibrating in the air. The room smelled like coffee and heated tape. Someone in the control room whispered, 'Again?' and Prince just smiled, shook his head, and said the words that would become a legend in every fan forum ever: 'That's the one.' Ingram exhaled, wiped his throat with the back of his hand, and the golden hour in Minneapolis felt like it had paused just for them.

Reader's Guide

Ingram provided vocals on 'Just Once' and 'One Hundred Ways' for Quincy Jones's 1981 album The Dude, earning triple Grammy nominations including Best New Artist. '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 number-one singles on the Hot 100: 'Baby, Come to Me' (a duet with Patti Austin) in 1983, and 'I Don't Have the Heart' in 1990. He also recorded 'Somewhere Out There' with Linda Ronstadt for An American Tail, which won a Grammy for Song of the Year. 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.

Did You Know?

• Ingram won two Grammy Awards out of fourteen nominations.
• He co-wrote Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)' with Quincy Jones.
• He participated in the charity project 'We Are the World' in 1985.