- Born on December 3, 1939, in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.
- His full name was James Carroll Booker III.
- His father, James Carroll Booker Jr., was a jazz pianist and a major influence on James' musical development.
- His paternal grandfather, James Carroll Booker Sr., was also a musician.
- He was raised in a musical family and showed a talent for the piano at a young age.
James Booker's family life:
- His mother, Bessie Booker, was a homemaker.
- James Booker had three siblings: two brothers and a sister.
- The Booker family was relatively poor and lived in a small house in Algiers.
- Booker's parents separated while he was still young and his father moved to Chicago.
- Booker's mother remarried when he was 12 years old, but the marriage was short-lived.
- Booker had a close relationship with his grandmother who encouraged his musical talent.