Glennon Ricketts Jr. (born March 13, 1975), professionally known as Glenn Lewis, is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

. Lewis earned a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination in 2004 and has also won a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

out of a total of six nominations.

Early life

Lewis was born in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

and raised in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

by a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

mother and

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n father, Glennon "Glen" Ricketts Sr. Both of his parents were musicians; his father was the lead singer of

Crack of Dawn Crack of Dawn is a Canadian band from Toronto, Ontario, which formed in the mid-1970s, performing R&B, funk, and soul music. The band is noted as the first Black Canadian band to sign with a major record label. History Crack of Dawn was formed i ...

in the 1970s, was a protege of the late

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

, and had a solo career under the stage name "Glen Ricks". From the age of eight to fourteen, Lewis lived in Trinidad before moving back to Toronto. Originally planning to pursue a career in

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

as a teenager, Lewis instead decided to focus on music. After moving back to the city, he attended high school at

East York Collegiate Institute East York Collegiate Institute (East York CI, EYCI, or East York), formerly East York High School is a public high-school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the former borough of East York at the corner of Coxwell and Cosburn Avenues. ...

, where he won a talent contest by covering

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's " I Just Called to Say I Love You". Lewis has cited Wonder as his biggest inspiration, and he's often been compared to him due to the similarities in their tones. After high school, Lewis began recording demos with musician

Alex Greggs Alex Greggs is a Canadian songwriter, record producer, and remixer. He has worked with some of the biggest names in pop and hip hop. He started as a leading producer in the Canadian music scene, notably for Love Inc. Then he branched to more i ...

and performing at nightclubs, eventually becoming a respected act in the city.

Career

Early success

Lewis parlayed his Toronto success into the release of his first single, "

The Thing to Do "The Thing to Do" is an Contemporary R&B, R&B song by Glenn Lewis. It is his debut single, released in 1997, and is featured on the ''GROOVEssentials Volume One'' compilation album. The song was nominated for Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of ...

", in 1997 on Beat Factory/

BMG Music Canada BMG Music Canada was the Canadian division of BMG, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History BMG was formed in 1970. In 1986, it acquired RCA Records. In the acquisition, the company acquired RCA Victor Ltd. to form BMG Music Canada as par ...

. The song earned him a

nomination for Best R&B/Soul Recording. His second single, " Bout Your Love", was released in 1998 and garnered a second consecutive Juno nomination. That year, he also appeared on the remix of Maestro's single "

Stick to Your Vision "Stick to Your Vision" is the first single from Maestro's fifth album, ''Built to Last'', released in 1998. Produced by 2Rude, the song contains a sample of "These Eyes" by The Guess Who. It became his first song to appear on Canadian charts since ...

". In 1999, he was featured on the track "Whatever It Takes", which appeared on fellow Canadian singer Jazmin's debut album ''Better Be Good''. The following year, Lewis was featured on

Baby Blue Soundcrew Baby Blue Soundcrew was a Canadian DJ group from Toronto, Ontario, specializing in hip-hop and R&B music. The group was composed of Kid Kut, KLC, C-Boogie, and Singlefoot. They are notable for releasing two commercially successful compilation ...

's single "Only Be in Love", from their compilation album '' Private Party Collectors Edition'', earning him his third consecutive Juno nomination. This exposure eventually landed him a deal with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

''World Outside My Window''

Lewis' debut album on Epic Records, ''

World Outside My Window ''World Outside My Window'' is the debut album of Canadian R&B singer Glenn Lewis. Released on March 19, 2002, it featured two singles, "Don't You Forget It" and " It's Not Fair". It also features production by Dre & Vidal. The album debuted at n ...

'', was released on March 19, 2002. Fueled by the hit single " Don't You Forget It", which earned him a Juno for Best R&B/Soul Recording, the album peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts. He promoted the album by touring with

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

and Tweet, among others. The album spawned a second single, " It's Not Fair" which peaked at Number 90 on the R&B chart. In 2002, Lewis recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

" for the tribute album, ''Conception: An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs.'' He also appeared in the 2002 film '' Maid in Manhattan'' starring

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

and Ralph Fiennes, with the film's soundtrack featuring his song "

Fall Again "Fall Again" is a song written for Michael Jackson by Walter Afanasieff and Robin Thicke with some lyrics written by Jackson. He recorded a demo of the song in 1999, with a leaked video which was released in 2004, and The full (Demo) audio of the ...

", which was originally written by

Walter Afanasieff Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...

and Robin Thicke for

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's '' Invincible'' album, but did not make it onto the track list. A demo of the song by

was later released on the '' Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' CD set. Later that year, he released his first concert DVD, ''Glenn Lewis Live''.

2003–2009

In 2003, Lewis began work on his sophomore album ''Back for More''. The first single, also titled " Back for More", and featuring rapper Kardinal Offishall, was released to radio and a video began to air. However, the album was later shelved by his label. Later that year, Lewis netted a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for his contribution to Stanley Clarke's "Where Is the Love", a duet also featuring Amel Larrieux. Lewis was also the recipient of an International Achievement Award for the song "Don't You Forget It" at the

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

Awards in Toronto. In 2006, he signed with Underdog Entertainment and began work on an album with The Underdogs titled, ''Remember Me'' which was to be released in 2007. He premiered the song "Storm" in October 2006 which created a huge viral buzz in the underground soul music world. Shortly thereafter in 2007, Lewis parted ways with The Underdogs. During this time Lewis performed frequently overseas, particularly in London where he developed a strong following.

''Moment of Truth''

Lewis reconnected with Andre Harris and Vidal Davis " Dre & Vidal", the producers of his first album, ''"

"'' in 2009. On December 14, 2010, a popular soul music website leaked the song "Good One" leading Lewis to officially release the song the following week. He released the official music video in September 2011. On November 9, 2011, Lewis signed with Ruffhouse Entertainment with his upcoming album project distributed through Capitol/Caroline. On April 29, 2013, Lewis debuted his single "Can't Say Love" which was #2 most added at Urban AC Radio and hit #25 on BDS. His album ''Moment of Truth'' was released October 15, 2013 and features production from Grammy Award-winning duo Dre & Vidal, DJ Camper, Carvin Haggins & Ivan Barias, Certifyd and up-and-coming producers Matrax as well as a duet with Roc Nation vocalist Melanie Fiona.

''Chasing Goosebumps''

In 2017, he collaborated with DJ Jazzy Jeff on a concept album with ThePLAYLIST called ''Chasing Goosebumps'' which was recorded and mixed in 7 days.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (2002) *''Moment of Truth'' (2013) *''Chasing Goosebumps'' (2017) (with ThePLAYLIST)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Glenn 1975 births 21st-century Black Canadian male singers Canadian contemporary R&B singers Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Canadian soul singers Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year winners Living people Musicians from Kitchener, Ontario Musicians from Toronto Neo soul singers Sanctuary Records artists Epic Records artists Capitol Records artists Ruffhouse Records artists