You might not know Switch member, Phillip’s, face but as a member of the group, you definitely know his work if you’re an old school soul music lover. He and his fellow Switch members, Bobby Debarge, Tommy Debarge, Judy Sims, Greg Williams, and Eddie Fluellen- had us jammin’ to their classics, “I Call Your Name,” “There’ll Never Be,” and “Love Over And Over Again.”
What many of us didn’t know was that we’ve also been jammin’ to Phillip’s popular R&B brother’s music for decades. Most of us know his brother well…we just didn’t know they were actually related. FYI: HE IS NOT RELATED TO THE LEGENDARY DEBARGE FAMILY.
Scroll down to see who his multiplatinum superstar brother is…
Yep, “Just Once”/”One Hundred Ways” crooner, James Ingram, is the older brother of Phillip Ingram (of Switch). They come from a musical family of six brothers and sisters who all sang and played instruments, but only James and Phillip pursued a musical career.
In an interview, Phillip Ingram spoke about often being asked if James is his brother and how he was influenced by James ever since James was in his first band, Revelation Funk, back in the day:
Phillip Ingram: “The answer is YES…and let me tell you what solidified me knowing without a shadow of a doubt, ain’t got to think twice about it, my decision to do music as a living. I was either 12 or 13, ‘Revelation Funk’, my brother’s [James Ingram] band, performed at the Akron Civic Center. They had done some touring up in Canada and was just back. I saw that particular show, was very proud of my brother and said, ‘this is what I’m going to do’.”
“Well not too long after that, I got into my first band ‘Raw Soul.‘ Just about that time Revelation Funk moved to California to try and make it big. The band eventually broke up, but James decided to stay and make a go of it. […] 4 years later when SWITCH was getting together…I called James and told him that I had a record deal and he couldn’t believe it because he was out in California and I was still in Akron,OH. So during that time when SWITCH was on the rise, James wasn’t known yet. But in every interview when I was asked who was your inspiration into the music industry, I would always respond ‘My brother, James.’ From the time that SWITCH did their first record, it had only been about 10-11 years since James had brought me to my first rehearsals, and only about 4 – 5 years from the time that I had made my decision to do music for a living.[…] I’m still proud of what he’s accomplished in the music industry. I also know that this is a long answer to the question, is James Ingram Your Brother? I could’ve just said ‘yes’ but I figured I give a little more background.”
WHAT BOTH INGRAM BROTHERS ARE DOING THESE DAYS…
Since 1984, Phillip has gone behind the scenes singing background for such artists as Quincy Jones, Kenny G, Lionel Richie, Celene Dion, Kanye West, Julio Iglesias, Barbara Streisand and many, many more. He also still performs with his remaining group members (and some new members) of Switch (Phillip is the one without the hat who is playing keys and singing background in the video below)…
He’s also worked on quite a few films like “Father Of The Bride II”, “The Little Mermaid”, “My Best Friends Wedding”, to name a few and many commercials. As a songwriter he’s co-written songs for various artists such as Patti Austin, The Temptations, Janet Jackson, and more.
Phillip is also a faculty member at the California College of Music (CCM), and teaches vocal lessons twice a week with their Vocal Arts Program.
Both Ingram brothers are still fulfilling their same childhood dreams. Much respect to Phillip and James for giving that timeless, feel-good music that used to heat up the house parties back in the day. Gotta love the Old School memories!
