Baby Huey

Psychedelic soul vocalist James Ramey, - born on August 17, 1944 in Richmond, Indiana - was better known as Baby Huey, the passionate lead vocalist of Chicago, Illinois-based band Baby Huey & the Babysitters. While his 1971 posthumously released album, The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend, wasn’t a commercial success, it inspired generations of future hip-hop and soul artists who heard it. Ramey grew up in Richmond, Indiana and relocated to Chicago, Illinois when he was 19. Ramey, who suffered from glandular problems, weighed up to 400 pounds, which affected his health most of his life. He took it in stride, even coming up with is own humorous nickname: Baby Huey. After performing with several local bands, he formed Baby Huey and the Babysitters with organist Melvyn ‘Deacon’ Jones and guitarist Johnny Ross. The main trio brought in three other musicians and they began attracting interest thanks to their now-legendary live performances. They cut four singles sides in 1965 - "Beg Me", "Monkey Man", "Messin' with the Kid" and "Just Being Careful" – releasing them independently. Inspired by the music of Sly & the Family Stone, by 1969, Ramey and his bandmates embraced psychedelic soul, and were at their zenith when discovered by Curtom Records’ Donny Hathaway. Shortly thereafter, the band signed with Curtom - Curtis Mayfield’s label - and began recording their debut album. Unfortunately, Ramey had become addicted to heroin and had begun to miss live shows, rehearsals, and recording sessions. Tensions were building within the band during the sessions, with Jones and Ross leaving the Babysitters at different points. Even before the album was finished, Ramey died of a drug-related heart attack on October 28, 1970. After a few months had passed, Mayfield and some of his musical friends went back to the Baby Huey & the Babysitters recordings, added instrumentation and finished the album. The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend was released in 1971, supported by the single ‘Listen to Me” b/w “Hard Times”. Unfortunately, the album was initially overlooked, but it was soon to be embraced by a new generation of hip-hop artists and fans. In the 1980s and 1990s, the album became a hidden treasure for crate diggers and many artists began to sample the music of Ramey/Baby Huey. “Hard Times” was the most sampled song on the album and can be heard on tracks by Ice Cube, Chill Rob G, A Tribe Called Quest, Ghostface Killah, and many others.

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