James Ingram, Grammy-Winning & Chart-Topping R&B Singer, Dies at 66

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

James Ingram, Grammy-Winning & Chart-Topping R&B Singer, Dies at 66

1/29/2019 by Shelby Reitma

R&B singer James Ingram, who collected two Grammy Awards and a pair of No. 1Billboard Hot 100 hits over his decades-long career, has died at age 66. The news was shared via Twitter by Ingram's friend and creative partner Debbie Allenon Tuesday (Jan. 29).

There are no details yet about when or how Ingram died.

"I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir," Allen tweeted. "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."

The singer collected two Grammys during his career: His song "One Hundred Ways" won best male R&B performance in 1981 and his duet with Michael McDonald on "Yah Mo B There" won best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals in 1984. He was also nominated for back-to-back best original song Oscars in 1993 and 1994, for co-writing "The Day I Fall in Love" from Beethoven's 2nd and "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior.

Ingram charted nine hits on the Hot 100, including a pair of No. 1s: "Baby Come to Me," with Patti Austin, in 1983, and "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990. Other top 20-charting Hot 100 hits included "Just Once" (No. 17 in 1981, Quincy Jones featuring Ingram), "Yah Mo Be There" (No. 19 in 1984, with Michael McDonald) and "Somewhere Out There" (No. 2 in 1987, with Linda Ronstadt). He also logged 19 hits on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart and 18 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

He also tallied hits as a songwriter, co-penning Michael Jackson's top 10 Hot 100 hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," from the Thriller album, as well as songs recorded by Pointer Sisters, George Benson, Ray Charles, Shalamar and others.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

James Ingram, Grammy-winning R&B singer, dies at 66

UPDATED ON: JANUARY 29, 2019 / 8:30 PM / CBS NEWS

Grammy-winning R&B singer James Ingram, who co-wrote Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." and had two hits that hit number 1 on the Billboard 100, his creative partner Debbie Allen said Tuesday. He was 66.

"I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir," Allen posted on Twitter. "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."

The cause of Ingram's death was not yet released.

Ingram, originally from Ohio, got his start in the 1970s with the band Revelvation Funk and then played keyboard for Ray Charles. Ingram charted nine hits on the Hot 100, including two that topped the charts: "Baby Come to Me," with Patti Austin, in 1983, and "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990. 

Ingram has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning for "100 Ways" in 1981 and for "Yah Mo B There" in 1984. 

Ingram collaborated closely with Quincy Jones over the years, including co-writing Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T" with Jones on the "Thriller" album. He also wrote songs for Pointer Sisters, George Benson, Ray Charles and more, according to Billboard.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

James Ingram, a Hitmaking Voice of ’80s R&B, Is Dead at 66

James Ingram on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1990. Among his many collaborations with the producer Quincy Jones, he participated in the all-star charity single “We Are the World” in 1985.CreditAlice S. Hall/NBC, via Getty Images

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James Ingram on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1990. Among his many collaborations with the producer Quincy Jones, he participated in the all-star charity single “We Are the World” in 1985.CreditCreditAlice S. Hall/NBC, via Getty Images

By Jon Caramanica

• Jan. 29, 2019

James Ingram, whose voice — technically precise, crisp and reserved, yet full of audacious feeling — made him one of the defining singers of R&B in the 1980s, has died. He was 66.

The actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, a frequent collaborator with Mr. Ingram on musical theater projects, announced his death on Twitteron Tuesday, calling him her “dearest friend and creative partner.” She did not say where or when he died or specify the cause.

Just as R&B’s “quiet storm” phase was peaking, Mr. Ingram was plucked from side-gig obscurity by the producer Quincy Jones to appear on his 1981 album, “The Dude.”

Mr. Jones discovered Mr. Ingram on a demo of “Just Once,” written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, which he sang for $50. Mr. Jones loved not just the song but the singer as well, and he called Mr. Ingram — who initially hung up on him — and invited him to perform “Just Once” and another song, “One Hundred Ways,” on that album.

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Both songs became huge hits, cracking the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. “One Hundred Ways” earned Mr. Ingram a Grammy in 1982 for best male R&B vocal performance.

James Ingram sings "One Hundred Ways" and "I Don't Have The Heart" on "The Tonight Show" (Jay Leno, guest host) in 1990.CreditCreditVideo by DavEvans066

Up until Mr. Jones rang him up, Mr. Ingram had been content in the background. “I was never no singer; I never shopped a deal, none of that,” he told The Chicago Tribune in 2012.

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But his voice — austere, luscious, commanding — was foreground material. His music was gentlemanly and romantic, the aural equivalent of being courted.

Mr. Ingram was born on Feb. 16, 1952, and raised in Akron, Ohio. He sang in a church choir — his father was a deacon — and taught himself to play piano. After high school, he passed up a track scholarship to focus on music, eventually moving to Los Angeles.

Mr. Ingram performing at a jazz festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2008, the year he released a gospel album, “Stand (in the Light).”CreditSupri/Reuters

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Mr. Ingram performing at a jazz festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2008, the year he released a gospel album, “Stand (in the Light).”CreditSupri/Reuters

When Mr. Jones discovered him, Mr. Ingram had been inching his way into the music business for about a decade. He had been a pianist for Ray Charles; played in a band, Revelation Funk, which contributed a song to the soundtrack of the 1975 movie “Dolemite”; played in one of Dick Clark’s support bands; and done side work as a demo singer.