James Ralph Bailey (June 17, 1937 – September 6, 1985) was an American
R&B singer and songwriter.
A member of
The Cadillacs from 1956 to 1972, he also recorded as a solo artist.
He worked as a background vocalist for singers such as
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
,
Roberta Flack,
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...
,
Melvin Van Peebles and
Jimmy Castor.
Biography
Bailey was born on June 17, 1937, in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
, Maryland. He was a member of
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
groups
The Halos,
The Cadillacs, and The Crickets (not
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
's
Crickets), and also recorded as a solo artist. He also co-wrote several hits with songwriter Ken Williams; the songs included "
Everybody Plays the Fool" by
The Main Ingredient, "Sweet Music, Soft Lights And You" by
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August