# James DeBarge
**James DeBarge** (born 1963) is an American R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, and songwriter from [Grand Rapids, Michigan](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-rapids-michigan), best known as a member of the Motown family group DeBarge, whose 1980s hits include "I Like It," "All This Love," "Time Will Reveal," and "Rhythm of the Night."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debarge/) He was briefly married to singer [Janet Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/janet-jackson) in the mid-1980s, and his later life has been marked by substance abuse, intermittent recording, and legal trouble.[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [4](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/musical-brothers-james-chico-debarge-arrested-in-burbank/3936485/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Grand Rapids, Michigan; genre R&B/Soul[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) |
| Group role | Joined DeBarge as its fifth member for the 1982 album *All This Love*; credited on vocals, keyboards, rhythm arrangements, and composition[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) |
| Signature hits | "I Like It" (No. 2 R&B, No. 31 Hot 100), "All This Love," "Time Will Reveal," "Rhythm of the Night" (No. 3 Hot 100)[5](https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-40-years-of-debarge-all-this-love) • [6](https://eldebargeofficial.com/) |
| Marriage | Eloped with 18-year-old Janet Jackson in 1984; the marriage was annulled in 1985[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) |
| Later recording | Guest and background work from the 1990s onward with DJ Quik, Kurupt, Suga Free, Won-G, 2nd II None, and Quincy Jones[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) |
| 2026 arrest | Arrested August 27, 2026, in Burbank, California, with brother Chico on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance[4](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/musical-brothers-james-chico-debarge-arrested-in-burbank/3936485/) |
## The DeBarge family group
James DeBarge grew up in a large musical family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His older brothers Bobby and Tommy DeBarge were founding members of the Motown funk-soul band [Switch](https://www.edgepedia.org/switch-band), and their contacts helped the younger siblings reach the label; [Jermaine Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-jackson) mentored the family act, and Motown signed El, Mark, James, Randy, and Bunny in 1980.[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [7](https://superfly.fm/featured/family/item/2247-debarge)
The siblings' 1981 debut album, *The DeBarges*, did not chart. For the second album, released in July 1982, the group expanded to a five-piece with the addition of James, who had just finished high school, and restyled itself simply as DeBarge.[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [5](https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-40-years-of-debarge-all-this-love) On *All This Love* James is credited with vocals, keyboards, rhythm arrangements, and composition, and he sings lead on the album's slinky opener, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) • [5](https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-40-years-of-debarge-all-this-love) The single "I Like It," written by Randy, El, and Bunny, reached No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1983, and the follow-up "All This Love" went No. 5 R&B and gave the group its first top 20 pop hit.[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [5](https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-40-years-of-debarge-all-this-love)
The group's third gold album in a row, 1985's *Rhythm of the Night*, was produced with outside help including songwriter [Diane Warren](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-warren) and producers [David Foster](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-foster), Richard Perry, Giorgio Moroder, and [Glen Ballard](https://www.edgepedia.org/glen-ballard). Its title track, picked up by Berry Gordy for the film *The Last Dragon*, reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/debarge-mn0000816517) • [9](https://www.loudersound.com/features/diane-warren-interview-aerosmith-starship-2011) James remained with the group through this peak; after El DeBarge left for a solo career in 1986, James and Bobby recorded an independent album, *Bad Boys* (1987), under the DeBarge name, which went nowhere.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) • [10](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/debarge)
## Marriage to Janet Jackson
In 1984, at the height of the group's success, James DeBarge eloped with the 18-year-old Janet Jackson without telling his family, and the couple lived for a time in the [Jackson family](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackson-family) compound. The marriage lasted about a year and was annulled in 1985; Janet Jackson has publicly cited his drug use as a factor in the split.[3](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/) • [11](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-05-24/los-50-anos-en-la-musica-de-janet-jackson-a-cuestas-con-un-apellido-pesado-y-poderoso.html) The connection between the two musical families, both personal and professional, was a notable feature of 1980s soul and pop culture.[7](https://superfly.fm/featured/family/item/2247-debarge)
## Later career
After the group's dissolution, James DeBarge worked sporadically. From the late 1990s through the 2000s he appeared as a guest artist, performer, and composer on West Coast hip-hop and R&B projects, including [DJ Quik](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-quik)'s *Rhythm-al-ism* (1998) and *Balance & Options* (2000), 2nd II None's *Classic 220*, recordings with Kurupt, Suga Free, Hi-C, Frost, and Won-G, and background vocals on [Quincy Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/quincy-jones) releases such as *From Q, With Love* (1999) and the *Deep Blue Sea* soundtrack.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394) Apple Music lists recent solo singles including "I Wanna Be Your Man" (2018), "Heartache and Pain" (2023), and "Who Loves U" (2024).[12](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/james-debarge/394507)
His career was overshadowed by legal and personal troubles, including struggles with substance abuse.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debarge/) A 2025 documentary, *DeBarge*, directed by Matthew Siretta, portrayed the family's rise to fame with a focus on James as Janet Jackson's first husband, and reported that he and his brother Randy were living in an RV in Los Angeles while contending with addiction and poverty.[13](https://letterboxd.com/film/debarge/)
On August 27, 2026, James, then 63, and his brother [Chico DeBarge](https://www.edgepedia.org/chico-debarge) were arrested in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), after a traffic stop of a Chevy Tahoe towing a Nissan SUV, neither with license plates. Police reported finding suspected fentanyl and suspected methamphetamine, and both were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance; Chico also had an outstanding warrant.[4](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/musical-brothers-james-chico-debarge-arrested-in-burbank/3936485/) • [14](https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/02/james-and-chico-debarge-arrested/) Chico's management disputed any suggestion that he uses drugs, while the allegations against James were not disputed in the coverage.[14](https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/02/james-and-chico-debarge-arrested/)
## Legacy
DeBarge's music has had a long afterlife in hip-hop: the family group's songs have been sampled by artists including [The Notorious B.I.G.](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-notorious-b-i-g), 2Pac, [Mary J. Blige](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-j-blige), and [Blackstreet](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackstreet), and commentators frequently trace lines in later R&B back to the group's 1980s sound.[10](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/debarge) James's contributions as a vocalist, keyboardist, and writer on *All This Love* and *In a Special Way* place him inside that catalog, which Motown reissued comprehensively in 2011 as *Time Will Reveal: The Complete Motown Albums*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394)
## References
1. [James DeBarge – Biography, Discography & Credits, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-debarge-mn0000139394)
2. [James DeBarge – Singer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debarge/)
3. [DeBarge – True Detroit Motown Records Family Group, uDiscover Music](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/debarge/)
4. [Musical brothers James and Chico DeBarge arrested in Burbank, NBC Los Angeles](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/musical-brothers-james-chico-debarge-arrested-in-burbank/3936485/)
5. [DeBarge's 'All This Love' Turns 40 | Anniversary Retrospective, Albumism](https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-40-years-of-debarge-all-this-love)
6. [El DeBarge Official – About](https://eldebargeofficial.com/)
7. [Debarge – Family Affairs, Superfly](https://superfly.fm/featured/family/item/2247-debarge)
8. [DeBarge – Biography, Discography & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/debarge-mn0000816517)
9. [The epic career of Diane Warren, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/diane-warren-interview-aerosmith-starship-2011)
10. [DeBarge – Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/debarge)
11. [Los 50 años en la música de Janet Jackson, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-05-24/los-50-anos-en-la-musica-de-janet-jackson-a-cuestas-con-un-apellido-pesado-y-poderoso.html)
12. [James DeBarge – Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/james-debarge/394507)
13. [DeBarge (2025), directed by Matthew Siretta – Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/debarge/)
14. [James and Chico DeBarge Arrested For Allegedly Possessing Fentanyl and Meth, TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/02/james-and-chico-debarge-arrested/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B and soul, 1970s and 1980s › Quiet storm and pop R&B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license