Music Intro by: Gail Nobles
Beat and bass: Remix live
Horns and Strings by: Gail Nobles
Story by: Gail Nobles
Voices by: Gail Nobles
Photo: Public Domain Wikipedia 

Today I'm talkin' 'bout the super-freaky, stone-cold groover, the one and only... RICK JAMES!
Hi! I’m Gail Nobles and you’re listening to Soul POD Classics.

Back in '73, he inked a deal with A&M, slingin' out "My Mama" and ignitin' dance floors all the way over in Europe. Now that's what I call a global groove, daddy-o!

Then he heads back to Buffalo, cooks up the Stone City Band, and starts cookin' with gas! "Get Up and Dance!" Hits the streets, and they are on FIRE. Motown's Gordy Records, they know a good thing when they hear it, so they snatched 'em up faster than you can say "Super Freak!"

And then, in April of '78, the world went wild! "Come Get It!" dropped like a bombshell, and boom, a number one R&B smash with "You and I"! And let's not forget about "Mary Jane," that sweet, sweet siren song that had everyone swayin'! This album went platinum! Rick James went from a local hero to a national treasure, savin' Motown's bacon in the process!

'79? More of the same! "Bustin' Out of L Seven" had everybody struttin' their stuff, climbin' those Billboard charts. Then, "Fire It Up!" set the whole world ablaze! And get this, he took Prince, that Minneapolis mack daddy, and Teena Marie, that soulful sista, on tour with him. That's what I call spreading the love!

Now, "Garden of Love" in '80, it was a little softer, a little smoother, but don't you fret! Because '81 brought the HEAT! "Street Songs" was the album that blew the roof off! Punk funk, rock, new wave... Rick blended it all together like a master chef! "Ghetto Life," "Fire and Desire" with Teena Marie, "Give It to Me Baby," and of course... that anthem, that mantra, that call to arms... "SUPER FREAK"! Top 20 on the pop charts, millions sold! This record went triple platinum!

And Rick James? He didn't stop there! "Throwin' Down," "Cold Blooded," he kept the hits comin'! He even started producing other artists, The Mary Jane Girls... "All Night Long," "Candy Man," "In My House"... pure fire! And he even gave The Temptations a hit with "Standing on the Top!" That's Rick James, the man with the golden touch!

Smokey Robinson, Eddie Murphy, The A-Team? This cat was everywhere! After "The Flag" in '86, he hopped over to Warner Bros., and "Wonderful" hit the streets in '88. Yeah, you heard me right... RICK JAMES! He's a legend, he was a funk master, a true original.
Rick James was the man that changed the game!

 Keep it real, keep it funky, and keep it locked on to Gail Nobles! Peace out!

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