James Edward Ingram was born on 16 February 1952, in Akron, Ohio USA, to Alistine and Henry Ingram. He is a singer, songwriter, record producer and instrumentalist, who has released numerous hits during his career, such as “Baby, Come to Me” and “Yah Mo B There”.
So just how wealthy is James Edward? According to sources, Ingram has acquired a wealth over $20 million, as of early 2017. His fortune has been accumulated through his involvement in music, which began in the late 1970s.
James Ingram Net Worth $20 Million
Ingram grew up in Akron with his five siblings. His music career began in the ’70s, when he started to perform in the band Revelation Funk. He eventually moved to Los Angeles, California with his band, but they broke up soon after and Ingram went on to play music around the city. He took to performing backup vocals and playing keyboards for Ray Charles, and served as musical director of soul artist Leon Haywood. He was then discovered by ex-Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, and was featured on some of his recordings.
In 1981 Ingram got an opportunity to provide vocals to “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways” from the album “The Dude” by the legendary Quincy Jones. The album saw an extraordinary success, earning Ingram a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance for the latter song. His popularity began to grow, as did his net worth.
He then co-wrote Michael Jackson’s hit “P.Y.T.”, showcasing his songwriting skills, and then went on to record two hits with Patti Austin, “Baby, Come to Me” and “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?”, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter duet. Not long after, Quincy Jones signed Ingram to his Quest Records, and the singer went on to release his debut album, the 1983 “It’s Your Night” which was a great critical and commercial success, selling nearly a million copies and earning several Grammy nominations. It’s single “Yah Mo B There”, a duet with Michael McDonald, became an instant hit, earning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It shot Ingram to fame, significantly adding to his wealth.
After “What About Me”, a hit duet with Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, Ingram was featured in the charity single “We Are the World”. His second album, “Never Felt So Good”, came out in 1986, and the following year he released a hit duet with Linda Ronstadt entitled “Somewhere Out There”, which won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Another album followed in 1989, entitled “It’s Real”, containing the hit title track. His wealth intensified.
The following year Ingram appeared on Jones’ hit ballad “The Secret Garden”, and in 1993 released his fourth album, “Always You”. He went on to write and perform singles and duets, among them several soundtracks, throughout the ’90s. All contributed to his fortune. Ingram’s most recent album, “Stand”, came out in 2008.
Throughout his career, Ingram has made several film contributions. His duet with Austin – “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” – was featured in “Best Friends”, a duet with Ronstadt “Somewhere Out There” was heard in the animated film “An American Tail”, “Don’t Make Me No Never Mind” co-written with Quincy Jones and Roy Gaines was featured in Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple”, “One More Time” in “Sarafina”, and “The Day I Fall in Love”, a duet with Dolly Parton, in “Beethoven’s 2nd”.
In 2007 Ingram co-wrote Kanye West’s song “Good Life”, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.
Aside from his career in music, Ingram has also been involved in television, appearing in the reality television show “Celebrity Duets” as a duet partner in 2004. In 2012, he appeared as himself in an episode of the ABC television show “Suburgatory”.
Although he hasn’t released new material in a long time, he continues to give live performances, and regularly tours throughout the USA and abroad.
In his private life, Ingram has been married to Debbie Robinson since 1975; the couple has six children and reside in Los Angeles.
