During the week of August 17th to 21st, 2020, after his valiant battle with health and financial issues, the wrestling world lost James ‘Kamala’ Harris.
The Cauliflower Alley Club and, more recently, the kind people at GoFundMe-type accounts set up for his family, who donated badly-needed financial aid, including fellow wrestlers, promoters, fans, and more who loved the “Ugandan Head Hunter.” I am missing my friend, James ‘Kamala’ Harris.
In reality, James truly loved his primary role as a longtime farmer and head of his family. He was regarded as one of the nicest, sweetest people in the biz, cracking up others in the dressing room. He said on my national radio show with Evan Ginzberg in 2012 –
“There’s nothing better than growing things, whether vegetables, fruit trees or farm animals from the ground up.
Whatever it is. You get satisfaction in caring for these things and seeing them help other people later on. And if there’s anything more important than growing things, it’s my family.”
James ‘Kamala’ Harris
He was born May 28, 1950, in Senatobia, MS, where he’d proudly spend much of his life. Any time he was on one of my radio shows over the years, besides singing some of his R and B creations, he always put Senatobia over, and not just for the cheap pop.
He told Evan Ginzburg and me, during another appearance in 2013, that ours was the first public platform on which he had ever broken kayfabe and spoken in English since adopting his Kamala character.
When he was 25, after some admitted, wasted years as a young adult, he began driving trucks and doing other hard work to support his family.
He briefly moved to Benton Harbour, MI, where he met its most famous resident, Bobo Brazil. Wrestling’s first Black World Champion, Bobo (WWA in the 1960s along with Bearcat Wright), convinced him to have his pal ‘Tiny’ Tim Hampton train him to wrestle.
He debuted in 1978 as Sugar Bear Harris but would go on to use a succession of ring names, including Big Jim Harris, the Mississippi Mauler, Superfly, Bad News, and more.
In-Ring Relationships
Bill “Paul Bearer” Moody as Percy Pringle was the first of a ton of Jim’s managers for him that would later include Fred Blassie, Gary Hart, The Baron (Von Raschke – for like two weeks in WWF), Sika, Mr. Fuji, Eddie Creatchman in International, and many others.
James worked all over Europe in 1981 to finesse his mat and chain skills, including wrestling as The Mauler in the UK’s beloved Joint Promotions.
He was in the main event title tournament at London’s Wembley Arena, just losing out in the finals for that group’s world title.
In Memphis, promoting legends and great minds, Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler created the Kamala character. The King had offered him a job there, and the Jerrys soon crafted his most famous character (originally spelled Kimala) based on Great Mephisto aka Frankie Kane.
The Ugandan headhunter gimmick wore colourful face and body paint lifted from a famous Frank Frazetta painting, where they claimed he was a former bodyguard for brutal dictator Idi Amin.
And discovered by JJ Dillon “after an African excursion.” My friend, JJ, have you ever been to Africa?! I’ll ask you that in person at our next CAC in Vegas once Covid19 “magically disappears.”
The First Promo
Watch WMC-TV’s first promo video showing a spear-wielding Kamala arising from the “steamy jungle”. That was filmed at Jarrett’s farm in Hendersonville, TN.
The steam effect for the jungle? That was dry ice! Kamala’s CWA Memphis debut was May 14, 1982, with JJ as a manager. A no-disqualification match against Lawler at packed Mid-South Coliseum.
The Tennessee magic went global from there after several title reigns and sell-outs to Bill Watts’ Mid-South. Whether it was the Von Erichs’ World Class, Verne Gagne’s AWA, and, of course, his various WWF stints. This included main-eventing with Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, The Undertaker, and more.
And he worked many tours for Giant Shohei Baba in All Japan. At times, he teamed with Abdullah the Butcher and Kamala #2 (Ben Peacock).
What a character James was and will always be remembered for perfecting! Before I forget, although others played the non-speaking secondary faux-African “handler” in the masked Kim Chee, like Steve Lombardi.
We’ll always miss our brother and friend James terribly, who was so much more than just Kamala. And hope he’s finally comfortable now — only one of a kind and on all cylinders.
