Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis
Lewis in 1998
Background information
Birth name	Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr.
Born	(1935-05-27) May 27, 1935 (age 86)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Jazz jazz-funk pop
Occupation(s)	Composer, pianist, radio personality
Instruments	Piano keyboards
Years active	1956–present
Labels	Cadet Columbia GRP Narada Concord Hidden Beach
Associated acts	Earth, Wind & Fire Maurice White Minnie Riperton Nancy Wilson Urban Knights
Website	www.ramseylewis.com

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (born May 27, 1935) is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality.^[1] Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.

Biography[]

Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois,^[1] to Ramsey Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis. He began taking piano lessons at the age of four. Lewis would eventually join a jazz group called the clefs. He later formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young.^[1] They eventually joined up with Chess Records.^[2]

During 1956 the trio issued their debut album, Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing.^[3] 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, and Bill Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; also appeared on many 1980's releases.

By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation's most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with "The In Crowd", "Hang On Sloopy",^[4] and "Wade in the Water". All three singles each sold over one million copies and were awarded gold discs.^[5] Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.^[6]

In 1994, Lewis appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, alongside other prominent jazz artists Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by TIME magazine.

In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosts the weekly syndicated radio program Legends of Jazz, created in 1990 and currently syndicated by United Stations Radio Networks.^[7] 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.^[8]

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.^[9]

Lewis performing at JazzFe 2006. Photo by Tomas Forgac

Lewis is 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.^[10] Ramsey also serves on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inner-city music program and The Chicago High School for the Arts, the public arts high school in Chicago established in 2009. Early in 2005, the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was created to help connect at-risk children to the world of music. As an offshoot of that foundation, Lewis plans to form a Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. 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. Lewis is an Honorary Board member of the . Lewis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Chicago upon delivering the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony.

Ramsey Lewis was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.^[11]

Discography[]

As sideman[]

With Max Roach

• MAX (Argo, 1958)

With Jimmy Woode

• The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode (Argo, 1957)

With Young/Holt

• Feature Spot (Cadet, 1967) ^[12]

Awards and recognitions[]

Lewis performs live in the KPLU studio on October 2009

Grammy history[]

• Career Wins: 3
• Career nominations: 4^[13]

Certifications[]

Recognition[]

• 2002: Lewis participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay, lighting the cauldron for its brief stop in Chicago.^[14]
• 2003: NAACP Image Award, Best Jazz Artist, for his album Simple Pleasures (2003)^[15]
• 2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, With One Voice (2005)^[16]
• 2007: National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Masters Award^[17]
• 2007: Landmarks Illinois, Legendary Landmark Award, as one of living treasures of Illinois. "Just like our landmarked buildings, our three Legendary Landmarks have been critical to the civic well-being of Chicago and stand as a testimony to the greatness of our cultural integrity." said David Bahlman, president of Landmarks Illinois.^[18]
• Ramsey Lewis was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1997 in the area of The Performing Arts.^[19]

References[]

External links[]

• Ramsey Lewis official site
• Billboard Chart History for Ramsey Lewis
• PBS – Legends of Jazz
• Ramsey Lewis interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 2010
• Interview, About.com
• Ramsey's Rhythms
• Jazz Monthly Feature Interview: Ramsey Lewis
• Ramsey Lewis discogs page
• ^{[dead link]}Legends of Jazz podcasts
• Ramsey Lewis Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2017)