Rick James & Stone City Band – Mary Jane (Studio Version Over Live Footage)

Born James Johnson Jr., the third oldest child in a family of eight in Buffalo, NY, on February 1, 1948. His life started in the Buffalo ghetto was very harsh and by age 14 he had already legal troubles and in 1964 James was AWOL because it interfered with his music career. Rick James is credited for establishing the Punk Funk style. His first band, formed in the 1960’s with future Steppenwolf member Nick St. Nicholas was initially called the Sailor Boys but soon changed their name to Mynah Birds, The. He also formed the blues band The Main Line and was singing and writing in Great White Cane, The. In 1977 he formed Stone City Band. His first album ‘Come and Get It’ reached position 3 on the R&B charts, ‘You and I’ went gold in September and ‘Mary Jane’, a barely-disguised hymn to marijuana hit US R&B #3 in October. He also helped launch Mary Jane Girls, The in the mid-80’s. On the morning of August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead in his Burbank, California. James had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure with his various health conditions of diabetes, stroke, a pacemaker, and a heart attack. THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN EDITED USING ORIGINAL LIVE FOOTAGE OVER THE STUDIO RECORDING TO INCREASE VIEWING PLEASURE.