{"id":481518,"date":"2019-01-29T18:16:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T01:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=786231"},"modified":"2019-01-29T18:16:32","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T01:16:32","slug":"james-ingram-rb-singer-songwriter-and-p-y-t-co-writer-dead-at-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/music-news\/james-ingram-rb-singer-songwriter-and-p-y-t-co-writer-dead-at-66\/","title":{"rendered":"James Ingram, R&B Singer-Songwriter and \u2018P.Y.T.\u2019 Co-Writer, Dead at 66"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James Ingram, the multi-talented R&B artist who notched hits as both a singer and songwriter, died Tuesday, The New York Times<\/em><\/a> reports. He was 66.<\/p>\n

Ingram\u2019s friend and collaborator, Debbie Allen, confirmed the news on Twitter<\/a>, writing, \u201cI have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir. He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of his career, Ingram charted two Number One singles on the Billboard<\/em> Hot 100, earned a pair of Grammy Awards and was also nominated twice for Best Original Song at the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Though his solo career was an undeniable success, Ingram is perhaps best known for his collaborations with artists like Quincy Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald and Patti Austin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no words to convey how much my heart aches with the news of the passing of my baby brother James Ingram,\u201d Quincy Jones told\u00a0The Times<\/em>. \u201cWith that soulful, whisky sounding voice, James Ingram was simply magical\u2026 [E]very beautiful note that James sang pierced your essence and comfortably made itself at home. But it was really no surprise because James was a beautiful human being, with a heart the size of the moon. James Ingram was, and always will be, beyond compare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ingram got his start as a session musician, singing and playing piano for artists like Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye, but his solo career took off when he began working with Jones in the early Eighties. Ingram delivered three breakout performances on Jones\u2019 1981 album\u00a0<\/span>The Dude,<\/em> singing alongside Michael Jackson on the title-track and helming the cuts \u201cJust Once\u201d and \u201cOne Hundred Ways.\u201d Ingram earned three Grammy nominations for his work \u2013 including Best New Artist \u2013 and he took home the trophy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for \u201cOne Hundred Ways.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingram notched his first Number One a year later on the Jones-produced duet with Patti Austin, \u201cBaby, Come to Me.\u201d The song was not an immediate success. But after the hit soap opera\u00a0General Hospital<\/em> began using the song as the theme for one of its characters, the song was re-released and surged to Number One.<\/p>\n

In 1983, Ingram released his debut studio album, It\u2019s Your Night<\/em>. It was a slow-burning success; it was certified Gold and spawned several minor hits including a follow-up duet with Austin, \u201cHow Do You Keep the Music Playing?\u201d and the Grammy-nominated collaboration with Michael McDonald, \u201cYah Mo B There.\u201d<\/p>\n