Wanted to send out a special Birthday Tribute Shout to the King of Punk-Funk Rick James!
Rick James was the architect of a sound and style that owed as much to rock as it did funk, with vocal theatrics that were as emotive as anything Wagner could have put together. Gone but never forgotten, we all owe Rick a debt of gratitude for keeping the funk alive and ushering it into the 1980’s through the doldrums known as the Disco Era.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
