
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",a title reflectin g 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.
Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis. 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. He has a grandson, named Ramsey Lewis who lives in California, but used to attend your local high school in Chicago's Northside.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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. 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 new public arts high school in Chicago. 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 is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Chicago upon delivering the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony.
Lewis still lives in Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He has seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
*************************************************************************************
Discography
- Gentlemen of Swing 1956
- 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
- In Chicago1960
- More Music From The 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
- You Better Believe Me(Jean DuShon)1964
- 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 1968's Son
- Live in Tokyo 1968
- Solid Ivory (His Greatest Hits) 1963-68 part one part two
- Another Voyage 1969 altrn Flac
- 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 Pyramid1992
- Sky Islands 1993
- Urban Knights I 1995 Flac
- Between the Keys 1996
- Urban Knights II 1997
- Dance of the Soul 1998
- In Person (1960-1965)Compilation_Vol_1
- In Person (1965-1967)Compilation_Vol_2
- Appassionata 1999
- Urban Knights III 2000
- Ramsey Lewis's Finest Hour 2000
- Urban Knights IV 2001
- Meant To Be (with Nancy Wilson) 2002
- 20th Century Masters - The Millennium
- Collection: The Best of Ramsey Lewis 2002
- Urban Knights V 2003
- Simple Pleasures 2003
- Time Flies 2004
- Urban Knights VI (2006)
- With One Voice 2005
- The Best of Urban Knights 2005
- The Very Best of Ramsey Lewis 2006
- Legends of Jazz (with Ramsey Lewis) (3CD Boxset)
- Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey 2009
- Plays the Beatles Songbook (2010)
- Ramsey, Taking Another Look 2010
Max Roach – Art Blakey – Percussion Discussion (Appr. 1957) (Chess)
Max Roach - Max (1958)
Video:
Legends of Jazz: Showcase (with Ramsey Lewis).(2006)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------