RICK JAMES: 1972 BEFORE THEY WERE ROCK STARS - WHITE CANE

GREAT WHITE CANE

In May 1971, Ricky James Matthews (Rick James) heard about a recording project in Toronto. Ricky was AWOL fromthe US Military and was going by the guise Ricky Mattews, (later to go by Rick James) His birthname was James Ambrose Johnson. This tune is off the album Mother Earth, by "Great White Cane" This group he formed after he and Neil Young were in the group "The Myna Birds" together. This album is no longer in print. This interesting story of what happened to this Group and The album can be found here: http://www.classicrockpage.com/everheardof/RickJames.htm

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Music

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• Rick
• James
• Superfreak
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• Punk
• Funk
• Great
• White
• Cane
• Before
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• myna
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• neil
• young

[RoShamBohhh]

somehow I don't think these guys were talking about an actual "white cane",

like the one that is pictures on the record art. LOL

[kixxumass]

@RoShamBohhh hahaha you're right. Rick came up with the name and it means exactly what you probably think it means Lol

[kixxumass]

@FireitupBedford (con't fr comment below) He set out to play Rock n' Roll, even before Hendrix! But in Ricks exact words, "Back then, people just weren't ready for a Black Rock Star"

[npgfunk]

@kixxumass THe first rock star was black. Rock was invented by black artists. Chuck Berry was a black rock star when Rick James was a kid. So was Little Richard

[kixxumass]

@npgfunk Chuck Berry was Black? I didn't know that. That's the guy from the Gong Show right?

[kixxumass]

@FireitupBedford I simply used that title as an attention grabber to get viewers to click on the video cuz I think this is such a great song & wanted ppl to hear it. As far as Rick not being a Rock Star, If you read the video description it tells a little about Ricks story in the early days BEFORE he was the King of Funk, when he was a ROCK musician, the link I provided in the video description takes you to a more detailed story of this time in his life. Rick never planned on doing funk, he set

[1980Triumph]

that is the biggest bullshit I ever heard. Michael Jackson had the biggest selling album by black artist with Off The Wall, and the Jacksons sold 90 million records by 79, no way Rick was the biggest selling

[MJJacksonbty]

@kixxumass =( sorry

[konked]

This piece - I mean in the light of Superfreak & al - makes it understandable that Crosby, Stills & Nash asked him to join them. He introduced the bassist Greg Reeves who played on Deja Vu album. I guess I should try and search more the early stuff.

[1980Triumph]

@BobTheRecordGuy

Ughh, could you be any more wrong? MJ was black with OTW, Thriller, and Bad. Also his color or any color means nothing to the facts.

On a side note, I love how you hear Rick James in this song and he was so young but the same James we all knew and love

[BobTheRecordGuy]

@1980Triumph : yes, but when he had his biggest success, he was no longer Black.

[progrocketeer]

this song is You make the magic from their self titled and only album from 1972

[oatstao]

there is a similar album on Lion called "Canadian rock theatre' with many of the same artists on it. I Don't recall James being on it though