Biography
Bob James is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, composer and record producer. Born Robert McElhiney James on 25 December 1939 in Marshall, Missouri, he began his career playing piano professionally from a young age and later studied at the University of Michigan.
He is best known for composing the theme 'Angela' for the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which appeared on his 1978 album Touchdown. James provided the original music for the series and later released a collection of it on The Genie: Themes & Variations from the TV Series Taxi (1983).
He founded the smooth jazz group Fourplay and has collaborated with artists including Earl Klugh and David Sanborn, winning Grammy Awards for albums with each. His work has been widely sampled in hip-hop.
