James Thomas Ramey (August 17, 1944 – October 28, 1970), better known as Baby Huey, was an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer. He was the frontman for the band Baby Huey & the Babysitters, whose sole LP for

Curtom Records Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...

in 1971 was influential in the development of hip hop music.

Life and career

A native of Richmond, Indiana, James was the son of Robert and Ernestine Ramey. He moved to

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, at the age of nineteen, and worked with several local bands as a singer. When he was still in high school, he worked with his first; the Vets. Due to a glandular disorder, Ramey weighed about 350 pounds (160 kg) around this time. His size contributed to his stage presence, but also to health problems. Nevertheless, he made light of his condition, adopting the stage name "Baby Huey" after Paramount Pictures' giant duckling cartoon character of the same name. In 1963, Ramey, organist/trumpeter Melvyn "Deacon" Jones, and guitarist Johnny Ross founded a band called Baby Huey & the Babysitters, which became a popular local act and released several 45 RPM singles. The four songs, "Beg Me", "Monkey Man", "Messin' with the Kid" and "Just Being Careful" were spread over various single releases. During the late-1960s, the band followed the lead of

Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi- ...

and became a

psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s and saw Black soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, including its production techniques, instrument ...

act. Huey began wearing an

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and donned psychedelic African-inspired robes, and adding sing-song, self-referential rhymes to his live performances. According to his bandmates, Ramey's rhymes were very similar in style to those later popularized by

rappers Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

in hip-hop music. The Babysitters were a popular live act, but never took the time out to record an album. They toured widely in the US, and were seen by a member of the Rothschild family, who flew the band to

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, France, to play at a family ball. The band's appearances in clubs there led in turn to a feature in ''

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'' magazine.Peter Burns, Liner notes to ''The Baby Huey Story'' CD, Sequel Records, 1999 In early 1969, the band's agent Marv Heiman secured them an audition with

arranger Donny Hathaway. Heiman states that Hathaway came by the Thumbs Up club and was very impressed by the act, and got Curtom Records head

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

to come the following night. Mayfield wanted to sign Baby Huey, but not the band. Although the band participated in the recording of Ramey's debut album, there were feelings of unease among them, and Jones quit the band during the recording. It is also likely that Ross had quit some time before. By 1970, Ramey had developed an addiction to heroin, and his weight had increased to over . He began regularly missing gigs or turning up late, and, at the insistence of his bandmates, briefly entered rehabilitation in the spring of 1970. In addition to the heroin problem, Ramey was also drinking. Melvyn Jones had described in his book that once while pouring his breakfast cereal, Ramey's drug kit fell out of the box.

Death

On October 28, 1970, Ramey died of a drug-related

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at the age of twenty-six in a Chicago motel room. His funeral was held on November 1, in his native Richmond, Indiana, and he was buried there in Glen Havens Memorial Gardens.

Legacy

Baby Huey's album, '' The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend'', was released posthumously. Produced by

, the album featured several Mayfield compositions, as well as a cover of Sam Cooke's " A Change Is Gonna Come" and two original compositions by Ramey. The album did not sell well upon its initial release and was largely forgotten by the mainstream. Today, the album is considered a classic of its period. On October 7, 1971, '' Jet'' magazine ran a small piece claiming his mother was granted authorization to audit the records of two recording firms, including Curtom Records. The order also permitted her to evaluate an undetermined estate left by him. According to Chicago attorney Vernon M. Rhinehart, Ramey had a salary of $3,500 per week.Garage Hangove
Jet Magazine October 7, 1971, Page 52
/ref> Several songs from ''The Baby Huey Story'', including "Hard Times," "Listen to Me," and "Mighty Mighty Children," have been frequently sampled by hip hop producers since the 1980s. "Hard Times" alone has been sampled by dozens of artists, including Chill Rob G ("Ride The Rhythm", '' Ride the Rhythm (1989)''), Ice Cube ("The Birth", ''

Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...

''), A Tribe Called Quest ("Can I Kick It? (Spirit Mix)", ''

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''),

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

("Buck 50", ''

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''),

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

("The Dragon", ''

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''), and others.

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

and The Roots covered "Hard Times" for their 2010 album '' Wake Up!''. Many people, including the Babysitters themselves, see ''The Baby Huey Story'' as a significant and important influence on hip-hop music. "Listen to Me" was featured as a rap backing track in two episodes of the 2016 Netflix series ''

The Get Down ''The Get Down'' is an American musical drama television series created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The series debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, and was cancelled after the first season. Produced by Sony Pictures Television ...

''. The 2020 Netflix true-crime documentary '' Fear City: New York vs The Mafia'', the 2011 film ''

The Lincoln Lawyer ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' is a 2005 novel, the 16th by American crime writer Michael Connelly. It introduces Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Connelly's mainstay character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was adapted as ...

'', and the 2019 Swedish

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

series, '' Beforeigners'', also use "Hard Times" as the opening theme. ''The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend'' is the only available release by Baby Huey. Several singles, including "Beg Me," "Monkey Man," "Messin' with the Kid," and "Just Being Careful" are not included. "Listen to Me" and "Hard Times" feature on the soundtrack of the film '' I Believe in Miracles''.

Discography

Albums

* '' The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend'' (1971)

Singles

* "Mighty Mighty Children" (Curtom CR 1969) * "Listen to Me" (Curtom CR 1962)

Compilations

*"Hard Times" on '' Shaolin Soul'' *"Listen to Me" on ''Kurtis Blow Presents the History of Rap, Vol. 1: The Genesis'' (1997, Rhino Records).

References

External links

Tribute page at Garage Hangover
* Mehr, Bob.
Born Again
. ''Chicago Reader'' (Dec. 16, 2004). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Huey, Baby (singer) 1944 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century African-American male singers American funk singers American soul singers Drug-related deaths in Illinois Musicians from Richmond, Indiana Singers from Chicago 20th-century American male singers