I got word a few nights ago that a dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. His daughter informed me and it completely blew me away. We were on the phone and we both shared a good cry.
James will always have a soft spot in my heart. He had a smooth resonating voice that was ideal for radio which he enjoyed doing. When he walked he had a confident saunter that was a pleasure to watch. His joy of music was all encompassing and highly contagious. He enlightened me to the psychedelic mystery of Jimi Hendrix, the consciousness awareness of Gil Scott-Heron, the ear-blasting quirkiness of Fat Boy Slim and the playful staccato of Zap Mama. Although he tried to convert me to NASCAR and Grand Prix racing, it’s through him that I gained an appreciation for really cool cars.
When James and I first met (12+ years ago) he was petitioning to get signatures to run in the Detroit mayoral campaign. He was unsuccessful (Kilpatrick got in… that’s another story) but he’s always been passionate about politics, the city of Detroit and doing the right thing. Where he often talked about leaving town and the mess that rocked and aggravated him so, it was his deeply rooted love for the city and it’s people that kept him where he felt he needed to be. It was that and the love for his beautiful daughter, Jamie Lee.
My love goes out to the Grant family… Audradella, Zolle, Jamie Lee and Jayden.
Gone but not forgotten. James Grant R.I.P.
