American jazz pianist and composer (1935?2022)
Ramsey Lewis
|
---|
Lewis in 2009
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Birth name
| Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr.
|
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Born
| (
1935-05-27
)
May 27, 1935
Chicago, Illinois
, U.S.
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Died
| September 12, 2022
(2022-09-12)
(aged 87)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|
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Genres
| |
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Occupation(s)
|
- Composer
- pianist
- radio personality
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Instrument(s)
| |
---|
Years active
| 1955?2022
|
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Labels
| |
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Website
| www
.ramseylewis
.com
|
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Musical artist
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr.
(May 27, 1935 ? September 12, 2022) was an American
jazz pianist
, composer, and radio personality.
[1]
Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five
gold records
and three
Grammy Awards
in his career. His album
The In Crowd
earned Lewis critical praise and the 1965
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance
. His best known singles include "
The 'In' Crowd
", "
Wade in the Water
", and "
Sun Goddess
". Until 2009, he was the host of the
Ramsey Lewis Morning Show
on the Chicago radio station
WNUA
.
Lewis was also active in musical education in Chicago. He founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, established the Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program, and served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The
Chicago High School for the Arts
.
Life and career
[
edit
]
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. was born on May 27, 1935, in Chicago
[2]
[1]
to Ramsey
Emmanuel Lewis and Pauline Lewis. He grew up in the
Cabrini?Green Homes Housing Projects
, an area native to soul singers
Curtis Mayfield
and
Jerry Butler
. Both of his parents came from the Deep South. His father was a church choir director who encouraged him to study music. Thus, Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four with Ernestine Bruce, the church pianist and organist.
When he was 11, Bruce recommended he study with Dorothy Mendelssohn at the
Chicago Musical College
. Mendelssohn taught him classical technique with the philosophy that "it freed the performer from the thinking about the notes so he could concentrate on the music." Lewis realized what she meant when he saw
Wynton Kelly
with the
Miles Davis
group, Kelly asked him to play something, and Kelly complimented him by saying "Boy, I wish I had technique."
[3]
[4]
As a young man, Lewis played with a number of local ensembles, such as
Edward Virgil Abner
's Knights of Music.
[5]
Lewis would eventually join a jazz group called the clefs. He later formed the
Ramsey Lewis Trio
with drummer
Isaac "Redd" Holt
and bassist
Eldee Young
.
[1]
They eventually signed to
Chess Records
.
[6]
In 1956, the trio released their debut album,
Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing
.
[7]
Following their 1965 hit, "
The 'In' Crowd
" (the single reached No. 5 on the pop charts, and the album No. 2), they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form
Young-Holt Unlimited
and were replaced by
Cleveland Eaton
and
Maurice White
.
[1]
White left to form
Earth, Wind & Fire
and was replaced by Morris Jennings in 1970. Later, Frankie Donaldson and
Bill Dickens
replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on Lewis' 1981 album
Three Piece Suite
.
[8]
By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation's most successful jazz pianists, having had hits with "The In Crowd", "
Hang On Sloopy
",
[9]
and "
Wade in the Water
." All three singles each sold over one million copies and were awarded
gold discs
.
[10]
In the 1970s, Lewis often played
electric piano
, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic piano and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.
[11]
In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted the weekly syndicated radio program
Legends of Jazz
, created in 1990, syndicated by
United Stations Radio Networks
.
[12]
He also hosted the
Ramsey Lewis Morning Show
on Chicago "
smooth jazz
" radio station
WNUA
(95.5 FM). In December 2006, this morning show became part of Broadcast Architecture's
Smooth Jazz Network
, simulcasting on other smooth jazz stations across the country until its cancellation in May 2009, when WNUA switched over to a Spanish format.
[13]
Ramsey founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, which promoted musical instrument education to children, in 2005.
[14]
In 2006, a well-received 13-episode
Legends of Jazz
television series hosted by Lewis was broadcast on public TV nationwide and featured live performances by a variety of jazz artists including
Larry Gray
,
Dr. Lonnie Smith
,
Joey Defrancesco
,
Dave Brubeck
,
Chick Corea
,
Kurt Elling
,
Benny Golson
,
Pat Metheny
, and
Tony Bennett
.
[15]
Lewis was artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the
Ravinia Festival
in
Highland Park, Illinois
) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program.
[16]
Ramsey also served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The
Chicago High School for the Arts
.
[17]
Distinctions, honors, awards
[
edit
]
Lewis was an honorary member of
Phi Beta Sigma
fraternity.
[18]
In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from
Loyola University Chicago
upon delivering the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony.
[19]
In January 2007, the
Dave Brubeck Institute
invited Lewis to join its Honorary Board of Friends at the
University of the Pacific
in
Stockton, California
.
[20]
Lewis was an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.
[19]
Personal life
[
edit
]
From 1954 to 1988, Lewis was married to Geraldine Taylor (1935?2005), with whom he had seven children. In 1990, he married Jan Tamillow. His sisters, Gloria Johnson (1941?2021) and Lucille Jackson (1932?2012), served as music minister and co-pastor respectively, at the James Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church in
Maywood, Illinois
. On September 12, 2022, Lewis passed away in his sleep at his home in Chicago at age 87.
[21]
[22]
[2]
[23]
[24]
Discography
[
edit
]
Albums
[
edit
]
Singles
[
edit
]
As sideman
[
edit
]
With
Max Roach
With
Jimmy Woode
With
Young/Holt
- Feature Spot
(Cadet, 1967)
[30]
Awards and recognitions
[
edit
]
Grammy history
[
edit
]
Certifications
[
edit
]
Recognition
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Larkin, Colin
, ed. (1997).
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music
(Concise ed.).
Virgin Books
. p. 752.
ISBN
1-85227-745-9
.
- ^
a
b
Seymour, Gene (September 12, 2022).
"Ramsey Lewis, the pop chart's favorite jazz pianist, dies at 87"
.
NPR
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Turning the Corner from Classics to Jazz: An Interview with Ramsey Lewis by Elyse Mach,
The Instrumentalist
, volume 77, number 2, October/November 2022, article originally printed in
Clavier
magazine in 1998.
- ^
Lewis, Pete.
"Ramsey Lewis: Heart warming"
.
Blues & Soul
. Archived from
the original
on January 6, 2016
. Retrieved
January 14,
2024
.
- ^
Youngquist, Paul (2016).
A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism
. Discovering America.
University of Texas Press
. p. 32.
doi
:
10.7560/726369
.
ISBN
9780292726369
.
LCCN
2016005943
.
- ^
Aufderheide, Anne.
"An Interview with Ramsey Lewis"
.
Smoothviews.com
. Retrieved
August 9,
2023
.
- ^
Fukushima, Gary (August 15, 2023).
"Review: Ramsey Lewis?Gentleman of Jazz"
.
DownBeat
. Retrieved
August 9,
2023
.
- ^
"Felton Crews ? Chicago Bassist"
.
feltoncrews.com
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Gilliland, John
(1969).
"Show 50 ? The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 6]"
(audio)
.
Pop Chronicles
.
University of North Texas Libraries
.
- ^
a
b
Murrells, Joseph (1978).
The Book of Golden Discs
(2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp.
192, 193 & 207
.
ISBN
0-214-20512-6
.
- ^
Blickenstaff, Jacob (September 13, 2022).
"Ramsey Lewis: Life is Good"
.
All About Jazz
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"United Stations ? Shows | Legends of Jazz"
.
Unitedstations.com
.
- ^
Rosenthal, Phil (May 22, 2009).
"WNUA Swings to Spanish Format"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
- ^
Rice, Ruth.
"Jazz legend: Ramsey Lewis bringing 'In Crowd' to Pasquerilla"
.
The Tribune-Democrat
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"On Air ? Smooth Jazz WNUA 95.5 ? Chicago"
. Archived from
the original
on September 18, 2008.
- ^
"Ravinia Festival"
. Archived from
the original
on August 17, 2007.
- ^
Tamarkin, Jeff.
"Ramsey Lewis to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award"
.
JazzTimes
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"Honorary Members"
.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Brodsky, Rachel (September 12, 2022).
"Ramsey Lewis, Chicago Jazz Great, Dies At 87"
.
Stereogum
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Langan, Michael D. (July 22, 2022).
"Commentary: A favorite jazz pianist ? Ramsey Lewis"
.
NBC2 News
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Zee, Michaela (September 12, 2022).
"Ramsey Lewis, Legendary Jazz Pianist Known for 'The In Crowd,' Dies at 87"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"Ramsey Lewis, Jazz Pianist Who Became a Pop Star, Dies at 87"
.
The New York Times
. September 12, 2022
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Schudel, Matt (September 13, 2022).
"Ramsey Lewis, pianist with crossover hit "The 'In' Crowd," dies at 87"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Leroux, Charles (February 7, 2007).
"Metromix. RAMSEY'S RHYTHMS"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Archived from
the original
on March 6, 2007
. Retrieved
January 14,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Ramsey Lewis ? Awards"
.
AllMusic
. Archived from
the original
on November 3, 2013
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"RAMSEY LEWIS ? full Official Chart History"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"Ramsey Lewis Trio ? The In Crowd"
.
bpi.co.uk
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
Cook, Richard
;
Morton, Brian
(2008).
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
(9th ed.).
Penguin
. p. 1221.
ISBN
978-0-141-03401-0
.
- ^
Dryden, K.
"
The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode
: AllMusic Review"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
September 18,
2012
.
- ^
"Eldee Young / Red Holt ? Feature Spot"
.
Discogs
.
- ^
"Ramsey Lewis"
. Grammy.com. November 23, 2020.
- ^
"Ramsey Lewis"
.
The Kennedy Center
. March 1, 2007
. Retrieved
January 13,
2024
.
- ^
Smithies, Grant (May 18, 2016).
"Chicago jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis says life is good!"
.
Stuff
. Retrieved
January 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Rice, Ruth (March 8, 2007).
"Jazz legend: Ramsey Lewis bringing 'In Crowd' to Pasquerilla"
.
The Tribune-Democrat
. Retrieved
October 31,
2011
.
- ^
"2007 NEA Jazz Master: Ramsey Lewis"
.
Arts.gov
.
- ^
"Legendary Landmarks Gala"
. Landmarks.org. Archived from
the original
on September 28, 2011
. Retrieved
October 31,
2011
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Singles
| |
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International
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National
| |
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Academics
| |
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Artists
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Other
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