On Friday August 3, 2018 Rick James fans from across the globe will join to celebrate the life of a legend with a special tribute concert. The event will take place at the Patapsco Arena in Baltimore. Celebrate the life and legacy of Rick James with a live performance by Mary Jane Girls featuring Val Young & The Original Stone City!
This highly anticipated funk extravaganza will be a huge celebration of the life, music, and legacy of Rick James. The Patapsco Arena located at 3301 Annapolis RD in Baltimore. Doors open at 9:00 PM. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite. For media inquiries or interview opportunities contact Nika Watkins by email at Nika@fireicepr.com. Pictures and a bio of the performers are available by request. Click here to apply for media credentials!
Rick James, was born February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, NY. Known as the “King of Punk Funk,” in the early 1960s, James started his singing career fronting doo-wop and rhythm and blues bands in Buffalo, NY with his vocal style influenced by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and David Ruffin. He later formed the rock-soul fusion band Mynah Birds, whose lineup once included Neil Young.
After his tenure with the Mynah Birds James moved to California where he started a series of rock bands. 1978, he recorded his first album, Come Get It!, which sold over a million copies at the time of its release. James would go on to score several hits on the pop and R&B charts. His best-selling recording, 1981’s Street Songs, sold over three million copies.
After years of health issues and legal troubles James resumed his musical career releasing the album, Urban Rapsody, in 1997. In 1998 James’ career was interrupted again after suffering from a mild stroke during a concert in early 1998 interrupted his career for a brief time. In 2004 James received new notoriety when he appeared on an episode of Dave Chappelle's Chappelle Show in the Charlie Murphy "True Hollywood Stories" segment that satirized James' past lifestyle. James died later that year on August 6 from heart failure at the age of 56.
The Mary Jane Girls are an R&B, soul and funk group created in the 1980s. Protégées of Rick James, in 1983 Motown signed the all-girl group, which he determined would be the Mary Jane Girls. The name of the group referenced Mary Jane; slang for marijuana a favored recreational drug of James. Mary Jane Girls are known for their hit songs "In My House", "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of "Walk Like a Man". During live performances, the Stone City Band backed the Mary Jane Girls.
Val Young was discovered by George Clinton, who hired her as a background vocalist in 1977 for The Brides of Funkenstein, one of the many acts in his Funkadelic stable. It wasn’t until she met Rick James that she became popular. James promoted her as the "Black Marilyn Monroe.” Rick James produced her debut album Seduction released in 1985, which included the singles "Mind Games" and the title track "Seduction", as well as "Piece of My Heart" and "If You Should Ever Be Lonely", which were successful follow-ups in 1986. Young released her second album Private Conversations in 1987 with three tracks produced by Rick James.
The Stone City Band was formed by Rick James in 1978 and served as his exclusive Recording and Touring Band through the height of his career. They were responsible for cranking out the sounds to timeless hits such as You & I, Super Freak, Mary Jane, Bustin Out, Ghetto Life, Fire It Up, Fire & Desire, Standing On The Top, All Night Long, Boys, In My House and many, many more. They have performed on numerous television shows such as, The Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, Saturday Night Live, Dick Clark’s Rockin New Years Eve, and many more. Their recording efforts have produced numerous Gold and Platinum albums. They also recorded three albums for the Motown label.
ABOUT RUNNINGMAN PRODUCTIONS
The Running Man Productions (RMP) is an entertainment company that has been servicing the Maryland and North Carolina areas for over 20 years. RMP is dedicated to striving and cultivating the highest possible level of service to every project we take part in. We believe that the best way to achieve our goals is with passion and innovation. By creating exciting events and positive fan and artist experiences, RMP is able to connect our artists and sponsors with more music fans. Through the success of our events, we are not only building a more connected music scene, but we are able to support the music scene at its very roots.