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James Ingram, whose voice – technically precise, clean and reserved, but overflowing with audacity – made him one of the most important singers of the R & B group in the 1980s, died. He was 66 years old.
Actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, Ingram's dedicated collaborator on musical theater projects, announced Tuesday her death on Twitter, calling it "her dearest friend and her creative partner".
She did not specify where and when he died or specify the cause.
While R & B's "quiet storm" phase reached its peak, producer Quincy Jones decided to embody Ingram in his 1981 album, The guy.
Jones discovered Ingram on a demo of "Just Once," written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, which he sung for $ 50. Jones loved not only the song, but also the singer. He called Ingram – who had originally hung up – and invited him to play "Just Once" and another song, "One Hundred Ways," on this album.
Both songs have become huge hits, making it one of the Top 20 Billboard Hot 100. "One Hundred Ways" earned Ingram a Grammy in 1982 for best male vocal performance R & B.
Until Jones called, Ingram was content with the background. "I have never been a singer. I have never shopped, none of that, "he told the Chicago Tribune in 2012.
But his voice – austere, succulent, imposing – was in the foreground. His music was gentlemanly and romantic, the auditory equivalent of being courted.
Ingram was born on February 16, 1952 and grew up in Akron, Ohio. He sang in a church choir – his father was a deacon – and he himself learned to play the piano. After high school, he lost a scholarship to concentrate on music, before moving to Los Angeles.
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