Ingram was a self-contained R&B outfit formed by members of the Ingram family in the mid-1970s. Based in Camden, New Jersey, the band was comprised of siblings Barbara (vocals), Norman (bass/trumpet), Timmy (drums), Billy (guitar/bass), John (lead vocals/drums), James (or Jimi or Jimmy, vocals/keyboards and not the same as the hitmaking soul vocalist), and backing vocalists Francis, Virginia and Edith Ingram. Some of the members of the group were already individually involved in the music business before the formation of the band: Barbara sang backing vocals at Sigma Sound Studios and Jimi recorded as a solo artist. While Norman (AKA Butch) pursued a professional basketball career. When an accident ended Norman’s basketball dreams, he joined with his siblings and formed the band Ingram Kingdom. After purchasing recording equipment, the self-contained family unit recorded their debut album The Funk Is in Our Music (1976). Signing to Excello Records, they soon changed their name to the Ingram Family. By the time they signed to H & L Records and released their second album That’s All, they had changed their name to Ingram. They scored a club hit with the single “Get Your Stuff Off”. When the label went bankrupt, the group remained inactive since the group name Ingram was temporarily wrapped up in legal issues. In 1983, Ingram returned to active duty and signed with Mirage Records. They released the album Would You Like to Fly in 1983. Their next album, Night Stalkers, was released in 1985 and featured the singles “Smoothin’ Groovin’”, “Just for You”, and “DJ’s Delight”, all of which earned them acclaim in the UK. After their contract with Mirage Records ended, Ingram split up and the family members pursued other projects.
