Ronnie James Tucker, better known by his stage name Ro James, is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for his single "Permission", which reached number 37 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. He is signed to

ByStorm Entertainment Mark Pitts is an American record producer, manager, and President of RCA Records and CEO of ByStorm Entertainment. He has managed a number of artists and produced musical tracks for performers including Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans, Miguel, J. C ...

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

and released ''Eldorado'', his first album under a major label, in 2016.

Career

Born in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, West Germany, James is of Panamanian and African-American descent. Throughout his childhood, James would sing regularly, but never in public. He eventually moved to New York where he was influenced by his aunt

Rosie Gaines Rosie Gaines (born Rosemary Gaines; June 26, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Pittsburg, California. Gaines is a former band member of Prince's group, The New Power Generation. She duetted with singer Prince on th ...

, a former singer for

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. His love for the album '' Purple Rain'' landed him in a studio at the age of 19. His skills as a songwriter began with the song "Portrait", leading up to a credit on the single " Use Me" by R&B singer Miguel after forming a bond with him on MySpace. James performed in and around New York with artists such as Luke James and

Wynter Gordon Diana Gordon, previously known by her stage name Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her deb ...

. In 2013 he released his first EP, a three-part entitled ''Coke, Jack and Cadillacs''. Each part represented important themes in his life - first love, first drink, first car. The EP featured songs that included "A.D.I.D.A.S." and "Pledge Allegiance". It also featured

Asher Roth Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single " I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle'', on April 20, 2009, by Universal Motown, SRC, and School B ...

on the song "Lisa". James signed with

in 2015 and subsequently released "Permission", his first single from a major record label, reaching number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. His debut album, ''Eldorado'' was released May 27, 2016. It debuted at number 71 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and at number eight on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

. It subsequently earned him his first nomination for

Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

at the

59th Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, ...

in February 2017.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Tours

Headlining tour

XIX Tour (2017)

Co-headlining tour

The R&B Tour (with BJ The Chicago Kid) (2018)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Ro Living people RCA Records artists Musicians from Stuttgart German rhythm and blues musicians English-language singers from Germany African-American male singer-songwriters Year of birth missing (living people) German emigrants to the United States