Grammy-winning songwriter and musician James Mtume has died. He was 76. Mtume’s son Falau confirmed the news to Pitchfork on Sunday 9th January. His cause of death is still unknown.
Lisa Lucas, the daughter of Mtume’s late collaborator Reggie Lucas, also shared the sad news on Twitter, calling the musician her “honorary uncle.”
“So much loss. So much grief. Rest in power to Uncle Mtume,” she wrote. “My late fathers partner in crime, the co-creator of the songs of my life (and about my birth!). He was essential part of the life of the man who made me, therefore me too. Gone now. He will be dearly, eternally missed.”
Mtume was born in South Philadelphia in 1946 as the son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath, though he was raised by stepfather James Forman, a Philly-based jazz pianist who worked with Charlie Parker’s band.
According to the bio on his website, Mtume later moved to the West Coast in the mid-1960s after earning a swimming scholarship to Pasadena City College. There, he got involved with the Black Power movement and joined The Organization “Us”, whose founder Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa (the annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1). It was around this time that he changed his last name to Mtume, which means “messenger” in Swahili.
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After moving back east, Mtume took after his father and stepfather and rose to prominence as a jazz musician. From 1971 through 1975, he toured with jazz legend Miles Davis and his band as a percussionist.
Then, in 1978, he created his own R&B-jazz group, called Mtume, with Lucas as well as Tawatha Agee. They released five albums between then and 1986, becoming best known for “Juicy Fruit.” The song remained on the Billboard R&B chart for 22 weeks.
Mtume’s songwriting credits include Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s “The Closer I Get to You,” Mary J. Blige’s 1997 album “Share My World” and Stephanie Mills’ “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” which earned him and Lucas a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
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