The Mary Jane Girls
The mid-1980s. Ah, those were the days. A fun, fabulous, freaky time
when our friend, the funk-master Rick James, put together a band he
lovingly called the Mary Jane Girls. Now, it’s no secret that
Rick was a bit of a toker, and the name Mary Jane was a common nickname
given to marijuana. Truth be told, it never really bothered us that
we were named after an illegal substance. After all, it was…
well, the 1980s.
Let’s take a stroll through those wild days.
The debut album, written and produced by Rick, was released in
1983. It introduced the Mary Jane Girls to the world. Each girl
had a different personality and look.
According to Angelfire: Songs "Candy Man" and "All
Night Long" are bona fide "old school" classics,
combining Rick's tuneful grooves with melodic harmonies. The temptuous
"Boys,” with its lyric "You can call me any week
/when you feel the need to freak," is a gem that rivals anything
on SuperFreak Rick's own records.
I joined the band in 1985 for the second album, Only For You. I
was named Corvette, and played the part of a wild ‘n trendy
girl. We had two top ten singles that year: “In My House,”
and “Wild & Crazy Love.” I even sang lead on several
of the B sides!
We never did a third album, though in 1986, we did do a cover of
“Walk Like A Man” for the soundtrack to the film “A
Fine Mess.” The group disbanded in 1987.
But our groove lives on! Right here on this page.
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