James Ambrose

James Ambrose Johnson Jr. was born on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, to Mabel (née Sims) and James Ambrose Johnson Sr. He was one of eight children. He was an altar boy and choir member at St. Bridget's Catholic Church.[2] Rick James's father, an autoworker, left the family when Rick James was 10. His mother was a dancer for Katherine Dunham, and later worked as a cleaner in the day, and as a numbers-runner for the Buffalo crime family at night to earn a living.[3]
Early career
In 1964, Rick James fled to Toronto.[4] Soon after his arrival three drunk men tried to attack him outside a club; a trio of other men came to his aid. One of them, Levon Helm, was at the time a member of Ronnie Hawkins' backing band.[5] Helm invited Rick James to their show later that night and he ended up performing onstage with the band.[4] To evade US military authorities, Rick James went under the assumed name "Ricky James Matthews".[citation needed] That same year, Rick James formed The Mynah Birds, a band that produced a fusion of soul, folk, and rock music. In 1965, the band briefly recorded for the Canadian division of Columbia Records, releasing a single, "Mynah Bird Hop"/"Mynah Bird Song". At one point, Nick St. Nicholas, later of Steppenwolf fame, was a member; by the time "Mynah Bird Hop" was recorded, bassist Bruce Palmer had replaced him. Rick James and Palmer recruited guitarists Tom Morgan and Xavier Taylor and drummer Rick Mason to form a new Mynah Birds lineup, and soon traveled to Detroit to record with Motown. Before the group began recording their first songs for the label, Morgan left, unhappy about the label's attitude toward the musicians. Neil Young eventually took Morgan's place. It was while in Detroit that Rick James met his musical heroes, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_James#Life_and_career

​Donald Selmon