Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr.
(born May 27, 1935) is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. He has been referred to as "the great performer", [1] a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.
) along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.
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RAMSEY LEWIS TICKETS
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Biography
Ramsey Lewis was born in
Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis.
[2] Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album,
Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing
, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit
The In Crowd
(the single reached #5 on the pop charts, and the album #2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by
Cleveland Eaton and
Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. Later,
Franky Donaldson and
Billy "The Bhudda" Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton;
Felton Crews 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, and
Wade in the Water. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the '70s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.
[3]
In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted a morning show on Chicago "smooth jazz" radio station
WNUA (95.5 FM) until May 22, 2009. His weekly syndicated radio program "Legends of Jazz," created in 1990, features recordings from artists such as
David Sanborn,
George Duke,
Herbie Hancock,
Charlie Parker,
Dizzy Gillespie,
Kurt Elling,
Al Jarreau and
Miles Davis. The show can be heard in 60 U.S. cities and overseas.
[4] On
December 4,
2006, the
Ramsey Lewis Morning Show
became part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show was still based in Chicago until it was cancelled when WNUA switched over to a Spanish format.
[5]
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,
Lonnie Smith,
Joey Defrancesco,
Dave Brubeck,
Chick Corea,
Kurt Elling,
Benny Golson,
Pat Metheny and
Tony Bennett.
[6]
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.
[7] Ramsey also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inner-city music program. 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
Chicago Jazz Orchestra.
Lewis still lives in
Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He has seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Discography
Album
| Date
|
Gentlemen of Swing
| 1956
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Gentlemen of Jazz
| 1958
|
Lem Winchester with the Ramsey Lewis Trio
| 1958
|
Down to Earth (Music from the Soil
)
| 1959
|
An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio
| 1959
|
Stretching Out
| 1960
|
More From Soil
| 1961
|
Never on Sunday
| 1961
|
Sounds of Christmas
| 1961
|
Bossa Nova
| 1962
|
The Sound of Spring
| 1962
|
The In Crowd Live at the Bohemian Cavern
| 1962
|
Pot Luck
| 1963
|
Barefoot Sunday Blues
| 1963
|
Bach to the Blues
| 1964
|
More Sounds of Christmas
| 1964
|
At the Bohemian Caverns
| 1964
|
Country Meets the Blues
| 1964
|
The In Crowd
| 1965
|
Choice! The Best of the Ramsey Lewis Trio
| 1962-64
|
Hang on Ramsey (Live)
| 1965
|
Wade in the Water
| 1966
|
The Movie Album
| 1966
|
The Groover (Live)
| 1966
|
Hang on Sloopy
| 1966
|
Goin' Latin
| 1967
|
Dancing in the Street
| 1967
|
Up Pops Ramsey
| 1967
|
Greatest Sides, Vol. 1
| 1964-67
|
Maiden Voyage
| 1968
|
Mother Nature's Son (album)
| 1968
|
Live in Tokyo
| 1968
|
Solid Ivory (His Greatest Hits
)
| 1963-68
|
Another Voyage
| 1969
|
The Piano Player
| 1969
|
The Best of Ramsey Lewis
| 1970
|
Them Changes
| 1970
|
Back to the Roots
| 1971
|
Upendo Ni Pamoja
| 1972
|
Funky Serenity
| 1973
|
Newly Recorded . . . Golden Hits
| 1973
|
Solar Wind
| 1974
|
Sun Goddess
| 1974
|
Don't It Feel Good
| 1975
|
Salongo
| 1976
|
Love Notes
| 1977
|
Tequila Mockingbird
| 1977
|
Legacy
| 1978
|
Ramsey
| 1979
|
Routes
| 1980
|
Best of Ramsey Lewis
| 1981
|
Blues for the Night Owl
| 1981
|
Three Piece Suite
| 1981
|
Live At The Savoy
| 1982
|
Chance Encounter
| 1982
|
Les Fleurs
| 1983
|
Reunion
| 1983
|
The Two of Us (with Nancy Wilson)
| 1984
|
Fantasy
| 1985
|
Keys To The City
| 1987
|
A Classic Encounter
| 1988
|
We Meet Again (with Billy Taylor)
| 1989
|
Urban Renewal
| 1989
|
Electric Collection
| 1991
|
This is Jazz #27
| 1991
|
Ivory Pyramid
| 1992
|
Sky Islands
| 1993
|
Urban Knights I
| 1995
|
Between the Keys
| 1996
|
Urban Knights II
| 1997
|
Dance of the Soul
| 1998
|
Appassionata
| 1999
|
Urban Knights III
| 2000
|
Ramsey Lewis's Finest Hour
| 2000
|
Urban Knights IV
| 2001
|
Meant To Be (with Nancy Wilson)
| 2002
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20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Ramsey Lewis
| 2002
|
Urban Knights V
| 2003
|
Simple Pleasures
| 2003
|
Times Flies
| 2004
|
Urban Knights VI
| 2005
|
With One Voice
| 2005
|
The Best of Urban Knights
| 2005
|
The Very Best of Ramsey Lewis
| 2006
|
Mother Nature's Son
| 2007
|
Awards and recognitions
Grammy history
- Career Wins: 3 [8]
- Career Nominations:
Ramsey Lewis Grammy Awards History
|
Year
| Category
| Title
| Genre
| Label
| Result
|
1965
| Best Jazz Performance - Small Group or Soloist with Small Group
| "The In Crowd"
| Jazz
| Argo/Chess
| Winner
|
1966
| Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance - Vocal or Instrumental
| "Hold It Right There"
| R&B
| Chess
| Winner
|
1973
| Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance
| "Hang on Sloopy"
| R&B
| MCA
| Winner
|
Gold records
Currently, the normal RIAA certifications for a gold album is 500,000 units.
Gold Records
[9]
|
Year
| Title
| Label
|
1965
| The «In» Crowd
| Chess
|
1966
| Hang on Sloopy
| Rhapsody
|
1966
| Wade in the Water
| Chess
|
1968
| The Sound of Christmas
| Chess
|
1976
| Sun Goddess
| Columbia
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Recognitions
- 2002: Ramsey Lewis, carried the Winter 2002 Olympic Torch, Ramsey lights the cauldron for its brief stop in Chicago. [10]
- 2003: NAACP Image Award, Best Jazz Artist, for his album Simple Pleasures
(2003) [11]
- 2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, With One Voice
(2005) [12]
- 2007: National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Masters Award [13]
- 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. [14]
References
- Ramsey Lewis Biography
- Ramsey Lewis with one voice
- ''Billboard'': Ramsey Lewis
- Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis
- WNUA Swings to Spanish Format, ''Chicago Tribune'', May 22, 2009
- WTTW - Channel 11, Legends of Jazz
- Ravinia Festival
- Grammy Awards Database for Ramsey Lewis
- RIAA Certifications
- Winter 2002 Olympic Torch
- NAACP: Ramsey Lewis
- Stellar Gospel Music Awards
- 2007 NEA Jazz Master
- Legendary Landmarks Gala