James Ralph Bailey (June 17, 1937 – September 6, 1985) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. A member of

The Cadillacs The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 chart-topper, hit "Speedoo", written by Esther Navarro, which was instrumental in attracting Whi ...

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. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the early 2020s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pa ...

and

Jimmy Castor James Walter Castor (January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012) was an American funk, R&B and soul musician. He is credited with vocals, saxophone and composition. He is best known for songs such as "It's Just Begun", " The Bertha Butt Boogie", and ...

Biography

Bailey was born on June 17, 1937, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. He was a member of

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre 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, ...

groups

The Halos The Halos were an American doo wop group from The Bronx. The group formed with members Al Cleveland, J.R. Bailey, Harold Johnson, and Arthur Crier (bass). Phil Johnson replaced J.R. Bailey shortly after the recording of "Nag". (Bailey later joined ...

, and The Crickets (not

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

Crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets and more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 ...

), 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 The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group which had a run of hits in the 1970s, including their 1972 million-selling song " Everybody Plays the Fool". Early history The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio ...

, "Sweet Music, Soft Lights and You" by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...

, "Love, Love, Love", which he released in 1972 and was covered the following year by

, and "Just Me And You" by Erasmus Hall. He also co-wrote songs with New York singer Vernon Harrell (who had performed with

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...

). "Soul Shing-A-Ling" and "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood in 1966, and "Sweet, Sweet Lovin'" by

The Platters The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...

in 1967 were among songs written by Bailey and Harrell. The pair also co-wrote Harrell's release "Do It to It" in 1969 on Calla Records with J. Robinson. His song "Let Me Prove My Love to You", which was originally performed by

, was sampled for

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

' 2003 single "

You Don't Know My Name "You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, issued by J Records as the lead single from her second studio album, ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003). Written by Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly (songwriter), Ha ...

Career

He began his solo career in 1965, releasing records as Jimmy Bailey on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Bailey released a record on

Calla Records Calla Records was a small, New York City-based independent black owned Soul record label run by Nate McCalla (1930-1980) and active from approximately 1965 to 1977. McCalla was an associate and bodyguard for Morris Levy who headed Roulette Records ...

in 1968 called "Love Won't Wear Off." It was written and produced by

Billy Guy Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Biography Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...

. Bailey and Billy Guy had a record company called GuyJim Records. Bailey co-wrote the song, " Help Me" with Johnny Northern. The production was handled by Robert Banks. It was released on

Wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, bone or stone. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, whi ...

WND 1135 in 1966. It was credited to Al Wilson, but the singer was not the famous Al Wilson. The song was released on

Wand Records Wand Records was an American independent record label, started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of Scepter Records. Artists on Wand Records included The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces, Chuck Jackson, and th ...

in 1966. And ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' mentioned in the September 17, 1966 issue that the label's two newest releases were "Too Much Too Soon" by Shirley & Jesse, and "Help Me" by Al Wilson".''Record World'', September 7, 1966
Page 31 ''R & B Beat''
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Death

He died on September 6, 1985, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Discography

* ''Just Me n' You'' (MAM #5011) (1974) * ''Love and Conversation'' (United Artists #815) (1977)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, J. R. 1937 births 1985 deaths American rhythm and blues musicians Northern soul musicians 20th-century American musicians The Cadillacs members Musicians from Baltimore Musicians from New York City