close
Jump to content

James Mtume

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Mtume
Also known asMtume
Born
James Forman

(1946-01-03)January 3, 1946
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 9, 2022(2022-01-09) (aged 76)[1]
South Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • radio personality
  • record producer
InstrumentsVocals, percussion, keyboards
Years active1961–2022
Labels

James Forman (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022),[2] known professionally as Mtume or James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality.[1]

He came to prominence as a jazz musician, working with Miles Davis between 1971 and 1975.[1] Mtume's R&B group, also called Mtume, is best known for the 1983 R&B hit song "Juicy Fruit", which has been repeatedly sampled, most notably by The Notorious B.I.G. on his hit "Juicy".[1] Mtume the band also had a top-five R&B hit with the single "You, Me, and He".[1]

Life and career

[edit source]

Mtume was born James Forman on January 3, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] He was the son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath,[3] and was raised by his mother, Bertha Forman, and his stepfather, a Philadelphia local jazz pianist, James "Hen Gates" Forman.[4]

He grew up in a musical environment with jazz musicians frequenting his parents' house. He learned to play piano and percussion; however, from his teenage years he was pursuing athletics as a swimmer, having achieved the title of the first black Middle Atlantic AAU champion in the backstroke, and in 1966 he entered Pasadena City College on a swimming scholarship.[3]

In 1966, Mtume joined the US Organization, a Black empowerment group founded by Hakim Jamal and Maulana Karenga, while a student at Pasadena City College. Mtume received his name, which means "messenger" in Swahili, from Karenga who gave members of the organization names to match their personality traits.[5] He was part of the group which celebrated the first Kwanzaa in 1966. In 1967 he co-edited The Quotable Karenga with Clyde Halisi, which has been called "the best expression of Karenga's ideas".[6] Mtume left the US Organisation in 1969.[7] In 1995 he met Louis Farrakhan and remained close to him until the end of his life.

Mtume's professional debut was on Kawaida, a 1969 album by his uncle, Albert Heath.[8] His first recording released under his own name was Alkebu-lan: Land of the Blacks, recorded live at The East, a Black nationalist community arts and education center in Brooklyn, and released on Strata-East Records.[8] Both albums were intended to merge free jazz and cultural identity.[9]

After his return from the West Coast he moved to New York City and had his first gigs as a sideman for McCoy Tyner (Asante album), Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis, whose group he wound up joining and playing in for the next few years.[3]

With fellow Mtume band member Reggie Lucas, he won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for writing and producing Stephanie Mills' top-ten hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before", for which she also won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[10]

In 1994, Mtume created music for the show New York Undercover while also creating musical appearance opportunities for other artists on the show.[2]

In July 2018, Mtume filed a lawsuit against Sony Music/Epic Records, hoping to reclaim the rights for two albums and his hit single "Juicy Fruit". Mtume claimed to hold the sole copyright of these recordings, while Sony insisted that the albums were made for hire.[11]

Personal life and death

[edit source]

He was married 55 years to Adrienne Young, whom he named "Kamili" which means "perfect, near perfection." They met at a US Organization gathering in Los Angeles in 1966. Mtume and Kamili raised five children, and have five grandchildren.[12] He died in South Orange, New Jersey, on January 9, 2022, at the age of 76.[1][2]

Discography

[edit source]

James Mtume's discography[13][14][15][16] includes:

As leader

[edit source]

As sideman

[edit source]

With Gato Barbieri

With Miles Davis

With Jimmy Heath

With Eddie Henderson

With Sonny Rollins

With Pharoah Sanders

With Buddy Terry

With McCoy Tyner

  • Asante (Blue Note, 1974), recorded in 1970

With others

As composer

[edit source]

As producer (with Reggie Lucas)

[edit source]

Produced by James Mtume

[edit source]

References

[edit source]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kellman, Andy. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pareles, Jon (January 11, 2022). "James Mtume, Whose 'Juicy Fruit' Became a Hip-Hop Beat, Dies at 76". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Interview: Mtume on Miles Davis, Juicy Fruit and Donny Hathaway's Last Recording Session". Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Tanenbaum, Michael (January 10, 2022). "South Philly native, jazz legend James Mtume dies at 76". PhillyVoice. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  5. ↑ Brown, Scot (2003). Fighting for US: Maulana Karenga, the US Organization, and Black Cultural Nationalism. NYU Press. p. 59. ISBN 9780814798782.
  6. ↑ Joseph, Peniel E. (2013). The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era. Routledge. p. 341. ISBN 978-1136773471.
  7. ↑ Widener, Daniel (2009). Black Arts West: Culture and Struggle in Postwar Los Angeles. Duke University Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0822392620.
  8. 1 2 Umoja, Akinyele; Stanford, Karin L.; Young, Jasmin A., eds. (2018). "Black Music". Black Power Encyclopedia: From "Black is Beautiful" to Urban Uprisings. ABC-CLIO. pp. 129–30. ISBN 9781440840074.
  9. ↑ Widener, Daniel (January 1, 2009). Black Arts West: Culture and Struggle in Postwar Los Angeles. Duke University Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0822392620.
  10. ↑ "23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards (1980)". GRAMMY.com. November 28, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  11. ↑ Stutz, Colin (July 6, 2018). "James Mtume Sues Sony Music to Regain Rights to 'Juicy Fruit' & More Music". Billboard.
  12. ↑ Neal, Mark Anthony (February 4, 2014). Songs in the Key of Black Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation. Routledge. ISBN 9781135206802.
  13. ↑ "James Mtume". Discogs. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  14. ↑ "MTUME". JazzMusicArchives.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  15. ↑ "James Mtume Top Songs as Writer Music VF, US and UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  16. ↑ Jazz, All About. "James Mtume discography @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ Promis, Jose F. "Phyllis Hyman, You Know How to Love Me: Review". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  18. ↑ "LEVERT, full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
[edit source]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Mtume&oldid=1365112551"