JAMES INGRAM was plucked, at the dawn of the 1980s, from a life as a background vocalist, instrumentalist and $50-a-song demo singer. He was plucked by QUINCY JONES, who heard in Ingram's husky, romantic tenor something that Ingram himself, by all accounts, had never heard. He was nudged that last 20 feet toward stardom, and he walked it without ever quite giving up the persona of a guy who could have remained 20 feet away, blending in with everyone else in the room while simultaneously elevating everyone else in the room. It's a lot harder than it sounds and he made it sound effortless. He could, and pretty much did, sing with everybody. (Is there a hit duet from the 1980s or '90s that he isn't on? No, there is not.) He could seamlessly follow Quincy Jones from Quincy's own albums, to a little MICHAEL JACKSON album called THRILLER (Quincy had a vague idea for a song to be called "P.Y.T."; Ingram went ahead and wrote it), to a little ditty called "WE ARE THE WORLD" ("Here’s how highly Jones and Jackson rate James Ingram," ROLLING STONE would report; "he earned one of the ad-lib slots, getting to pump both his fists and carry the chorus to the final fade"). On his own records and on all those duets, Ingram perfected a relaxed, sexy soul that pretty much defined one end of the radio dial in the '80s. This chorus is indelible and perfect (and was written for Ingram and PATTI AUSTIN by another member of Jones' coterie, ROD TEMPERTON). His voice was seemingly everywhere, and was probably a bigger star than he himself ever became, his two Grammys, two BILLBOARD #1s and two Oscar nominations notwithstanding. He and that voice defined a particular space that QUESTLOVE, who deserves the last word here, nails in this beautiful and somewhat provocative remembrance. RIP... Oh, also: I sometimes can't tell if it's Ingram or MICHAEL MCDONALD singing. They should've formed a band called DOPPELGÄNGER... Hearts, hugs and rainbows to EMPIRE star JUSSIE SMOLLETT. Very glad to hear he's in good condition. I wish I could say the same for the country in which this happened... ROGER LYNCH exits PANDORA... BENJI ROGERS re-enters PLEDGEMUSIC, temporarily... The top programmer at RADIO DISNEY COUNTRY says he has "not actually met any of the women that say that they don't like or won't support women artists," and therefore he plays women frequently on the station. Your move, all other country programmers... HOWARD SCHULTZ once ran a record store of sorts... Oops: FRANK OCEAN says reports that his 2016 album ENDLESS will be serviced to subscription music services are "fake news." So much for the hopeful conclusion of Tuesday's rantnrave... MAROON 5 is even less interested than BILL BELICHICK in talking to the press before the SUPER BOWL... Today is the 50th anniversary of the BEATLES' last concert, on the roof of APPLE CORPS... And this year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of ECM RECORDS. The BIG EARS FESTIVAL will celebrate with some 20 concerts in Knoxville, Tenn., in March... KISS and don't make up... Good luck with that.