Baby Huey

Description

Baby Huey (born James Ramey, January 1 1944 - October 28 1970) was an American rock and soul singer, born in Richmond, Indiana. He was the frontman for the band Baby Huey &amp; The Babysitters, whose singular LP for Curtom Records in 1971 was influential in the development of hip hop music.<p>A native of Richmond, Indiana, James Ramey moved to Chicago, Illinois at the age of nineteen, and worked with several local bands as a singer. Due to a glandular disorder, Ramey was a large man, weighing about 350 pounds (160 kg). 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 Melvin "Deacon" Jones, and guitarist Johnny Ross founded a band called Baby Huey &amp; the Babysitters, which became a popular local act and released several 45 RPM singles, including "Beg Me", "Monkey Man", ...