James Ingram facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Ingram
Ingram in 1998
Born	James Edward Ingram (1952-02-16)February 16, 1952 Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Died	January 29, 2019(2019-01-29) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter record producer
Years active	1973–2019
Spouse(s)	Debra Robinson ​ (m. 1975)​
Relatives	Phillip Ingram (brother)
Musical career
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B pop soul
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards
Labels	Qwest Intering
Associated acts	Quincy Jones Michael McDonald Anita Baker Michael Jackson Nancy Wilson

James Edward Ingram (born February 16, 1952 – died January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He was famous for his soulful voice and many hit songs. James Ingram won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, Ingram had eight songs that reached the top 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also had thirteen top 40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Two of his songs reached number one on the Hot 100. The first was "Baby, Come to Me" in 1983, a duet with Patti Austin. His second number-one hit, "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990, was his only solo song to reach the top spot.

He also sang "Somewhere Out There" with Linda Ronstadt for the animated movie An American Tail. This song became a huge hit. Ingram also helped write "The Day I Fall in Love" from the movie Beethoven's 2nd (1993) and "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior (1994). These songs earned him nominations for major awards like the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys.

Biography

Early life and start in music

James Ingram was born in Akron, Ohio. He went to East High School in Akron and even got a scholarship for track and field at the University of Akron. Later, he moved to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, James played keyboards for the famous musician Ray Charles before becoming well-known himself. He also played with a band called Revelation Funk. Ingram got his first music publishing deal with 20th Century Fox. This is where he sang a demo version of the song "Just Once" for only $50.

Music career highlights

James Ingram became widely known when he sang on two songs for Quincy Jones's 1981 album, The Dude. These songs were "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways". His work on this album earned him three Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. He won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "One Hundred Ways".

In 1983, Ingram released his first album, It's Your Night. It included the popular song "There's No Easy Way". He worked with many other famous artists throughout his career, such as Donna Summer, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, and Kenny Rogers. In October 1990, his song "I Don't Have the Heart" from his album It's Real became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

James Ingram was especially famous for his duets and collaborations with other singers.

• In 1983, he had a number-one hit with Patti Austin called "Baby, Come to Me".
• Another duet with Patti Austin, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?", was in the movie Best Friends (1982) and was nominated for an Oscar.
• In 1985, he won a Grammy Award for "Yah Mo B There", a duet with Michael McDonald.
• He also joined many other artists in 1985 to record the charity song "We Are the World".

In 1987, Ingram teamed up with Linda Ronstadt for "Somewhere Out There", the main song from the animated movie An American Tail. This song sold over a million copies and reached number 2 in the U.S. and the top 10 in the U.K. It also won the 1987 Grammy Award for Song of the Year and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

In the 1990s, James Ingram continued to make popular songs for movies.

• He sang "One More Time" for the movie Sarafina!.
• He sang "Where Did My Heart Go?" for the movie City Slickers.
• In 1994, his song "The Day I Fall in Love", a duet with Dolly Parton, was the theme song for Beethoven's 2nd. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Ingram and Parton even performed it live at the Oscar ceremony.
• In 1997, he co-wrote "Our Time Has Come" for the animated film Cats Don't Dance.

In 2004, Ingram appeared on the TV show Celebrity Duets, where he sang with other celebrities. In 2011, he joined Cliff Richard on his "Soulicious" tour in the UK. He also appeared as himself in the TV show Suburgatory in 2012.

Death

James Ingram passed away in Los Angeles on January 29, 2019, at the age of 66. He died from brain cancer.

Filmography

James Ingram also appeared in some films and TV shows:

• 1981: SCTV (as himself)
• 1997: The Fearless Four (voice of Buster in the English version)
• 2012: Suburgatory (as himself)

Awards and nominations

James Ingram won two Grammy Awards and received many nominations for his music.

Grammy Awards

Academy Award nominations

• 1994: Nominated for Best Original Song for "The Day I Fall in Love" from Beethoven's 2nd.
• 1995: Nominated for Best Original Song for "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior.

Golden Globe Award nominations

• 1994: Nominated for Best Original Song for "The Day I Fall in Love".
• 1995: Nominated for Best Original Song for "Look What Love Has Done".

See also

In Spanish: James Ingram para niños