Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.

Biography

Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, United States. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years later decided on a career in music. When he was 16 he played on his first recording session with

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of ...

. He developed a love for jazz and was influenced by guitarist

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

. At the age of 17 he worked with

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

and

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...

. He studied classical guitar at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

1976–1988

Ritenour's solo career began with the album ''First Course'' (1976), a good example of the jazz-funk sound of the 1970s, followed by '' Captain Fingers'', ''The Captain's Journey'' (1978), and ''Feel the Night'' (1979). In 1979, he "was brought in to beef up" one of Pink Floyd's ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-i ...

''s heaviest rock numbers, " Run Like Hell". He played "uncredited rhythm guitar" on " One of My Turns". As the 1980s began, Ritenour began to add stronger elements of pop to his music, beginning with ''Rit'' (1981). ''Rit'' became his only release to chart in Australia, peaking at number 98. " Is It You" with vocals by

Eric Tagg Eric Tagg (born January 9, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was previously a member of Dutch music groups Beehive and Rainbow Train. He is also notable for being the songwriter, bassist and vocalist in guitarist Lee Riteno ...

reached No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart and No. 27 on the Soul chart. The track peaked at number fifteen on

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

chart. He continued with the pop-oriented music for ''Rit/2'' (1982) and ''Banded Together'' (1984), while releasing a Direct-Disk instrumental album in 1983 called ''On the Line''. He also provided rhythm guitar on Tom Browne's album ''Funkin' for Jamaica''. He recorded ''Harlequin'' (1985) with Dave Grusin and vocals by

Ivan Lins Ivan Guimarães Lins (born June 16, 1945) is a Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music (MPB) and jazz for over thirty years. His first hit, "Madalena", was recorded by ...

. His next album, ''

Earth Run ''Earth Run'' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, released in April 1986 through GRP Records.Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. ''

Portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

'' (GRP, 1987) included guest performances by the Yellowjackets, Djavan, and Kenny G. In 1988, his Brazilian influence came to the forefront on ''Festival'', an album featuring his work on nylon-string guitar. He changed direction with his straight-ahead jazz album ''Stolen Moments'' which he recorded with saxophonist

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Za ...

, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. Mason, who attended Berklee in the 1960s, received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony ...

. During the same year, he composed the theme song for the Canadian TV series '' Ramona''.

1990–present

In 1991 Ritenour and keyboardist Bob James formed the group Fourplay. He left the group in 1997 and was replaced by Larry Carlton. He released the career retrospective ''Overtime'' in 2005. ''Smoke n' Mirrors'' came out the next year with the debut of his thirteen-year-old son, Wesley, on drums. Celebrating his fifty years as a guitarist in 2010, Ritenour released ''6 String Theory'', a title that refers to six musical areas covered by the use of guitar. Ritenour has been a judge for the Independent Music Awards.

Lead vocalists

Lee Ritenour’s first few solo albums consisted entirely of instrumentals. Beginning with ''Captain Fingers'' (1977), Ritenour used vocalists on many of his songs: * Djavan * Bill Champlin *

* Patti Austin *

* Phil Perry * João Bosco *

Kate Markowitz Catherine Judith "Kate" Markowitz (Born 28 April 1956) is an American singer-songwriter known as a backup singer who has recorded and performed with a number of singers, most notably James Taylor but also Willy DeVille, Shawn Colvin, Mylène Farm ...

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

* Lisa Fischer * Michael McDonald

Awards

Grammy Awards

Ritenour has received one Grammy award out of sixteen nominations. * Album of the Year, ''Jazziz'' magazine (2010) * Best International Instrumentalist, Echo Jazz Award (2011)

Discography

Albums

Charted singles

As member

Fourplay * '' Fourplay'' (Warner Bros., 1991) * '' Between the Sheets'' (Warner Bros., 1993) * '' Elixir'' (Warner Bros., 1995) * ''Best of Fourplay'' (Warner Bros., 1997) L.A. Workshop * ''Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'' (Denon, 1988) * ''Norwegian Wood, Vol. 2'' (Denon, 1994) GRP All-Star Big Band * '' GRP All-Star Big Band'' (GRP, 1992)

Other credits

* 1977 "

Strawberry Letter 23 "Strawberry Letter 23" is a 1971 song written and composed by Shuggie Otis from his 1971 album '' Freedom Flight''. It is also widely known by the 1977 cover version recorded by the Brothers Johnson and produced by Quincy Jones. History The ...

" from the album '' Right On Time'' by

Brothers Johnson The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George ("Lightnin' Licks") and Louis E. Johnson ("Thunder Thumbs"). They achieved their greatest success from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, ...

* 1987 Joyride - track 6 "Midi Citi" - (En Pointe) * 1985 ''American Flyer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' with Greg Mathieson - GRP

As sideman

With Patti Austin * '' That Secret Place'' (GRP, 1994) * ''

Love Is Gonna Getcha ''Love Is Gonna Getcha'' is the eighth studio album by American singer Patti Austin, released in 1990, and recorded for the GRP label. The album reached No. 4 on ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Jazz chart. Track listing #"Through the Test of ...

'' (GRP, 1990) With

Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1947) is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter. Early life and career Bayer Sager was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She gra ...

* ''Carole Bayer Sager'' (Elektra, 1977) * ''...Too'' (Elektra, 1978) * ''

Sometimes Late at Night ''Sometimes Late at Night'' is the third and last solo album by songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, released in 1981. Singles from the album were ''Stronger Than Before'' (later recorded by Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan), and ''Easy To Love Again''. T ...

'' (Boardwalk, 1981) With

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

* '' Give Me the Night'' (Warner Bros., 1980) * ''

Songs and Stories '' Songs and Stories '' is a studio album by George Benson. The album was released by Concord on August 25, 2009. The album was produced by John Burk and Marcus Miller and featured a host of guest musicians. Track listing Personnel * Geor ...

'' (Concord, 2009) With

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the ...

* '' Thankful'' (Capitol, 1977) * ''

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

'' (Elektra, 1996) With Brass Fever * '' Brass Fever'' (Impulse!, 1975) * '' Time Is Running Out'' (Impulse!, 1976) With

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

* '' You'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''

Sweet Passion ''Sweet Passion'' is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on May 19, 1977, by Atlantic Records. Following Franklin's Gold-certified 1976 soundtrack album, ''Sparkle'', she paired up with Motown ...

'' (Atlantic, 1977) With Art Garfunkel * '' Breakaway'' (Columbia, 1975) * '' Fate for Breakfast'' (Columbia, 1979) With Melissa Manchester * '' Don't Cry Out Loud'' (Arista, 1978) * '' Mathematics'' (MCA, 1985) With

Alphonse Mouzon Alphonse Lee Mouzon (November 21, 1948 – December 25, 2016) was an American jazz fusion drummer and the owner of Tenacious Records, a label that primarily released Mouzon's recordings. He was a composer, arranger, producer, and actor. He g ...

* '' Mind Transplant'' (Blue Note, 1974) * '' The Man Incognito'' (Blue Note, 1975) With

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

* '' Endless Flight'' (Chrysalis, 1976) * '' Thunder in My Heart'' (Chrysalis, 1977) With Carly Simon * '' Playing Possum'' (Elektra, 1975) * '' Torch'' (Warner Bros., 1981) With

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

* '' Lazy Afternoon'' (Columbia, 1975) * ''

Songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds ( Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 50 ...

'' (Columbia, 1978) * '' Guilty'' (Columbia, 1980) – recorded in 1979–80 With others *

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, '' Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela'' (Horizon, 1978) *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including "Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

, ''The Painter'' (United Artists, 1976) * Stephen Bishop, '' Careless'' (ABC, 1976) *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

, ''

Basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...

'' (Capitol, 1978) * Paulinho da Costa, ''

Agora The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order ...

'' (Pablo/Concord, 1977) *

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

, '' I Want to Live'' (RCA, 1977) * Diana DeGarmo, '' Blue Skies'' (RCA, 2004) *

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

, '' Heartlight'' (Columbia, 1982) *

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...

, '' A Private Heaven'' (EMI, 1984) – recorded in 1983–84 * Yvonne Elliman, ''Yvonne'' (1979) *

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " W ...

, '' I'm the One'' (Atlantic, 1982) *

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

, ''

'' (Harvest/EMI, 1979) * Dizzy Gillespie, '' Free Ride'' (Pablo, 1977) *

John Handy John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone. He also sings and plays the tenor and baritone saxophone, saxello, clarinet, and oboe. Biography Handy was born in Da ...

, ''

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ...

'' (ABC/Impulse, 1977) * Eddie Henderson,– ''

Comin' Through ''Comin' Through'' is an album by the American jazz trumpeter Eddie Henderson (musician), Eddie Henderson recorded in 1977 and released on the Capitol Records, Capitol label. The album rose to No. 6 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart ...

'' (Capitol, 1977) * Joe Henderson, ''

Black Miracle ''Black Miracle'' is an album by saxophonist Joe Henderson which was recorded in 1975 and released on the Milestone label in 1976.Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, ''Roots (1977 miniseries)#Musical score and soundtrack, Roots'' (A&M, 1977) * Karimata, ''Jezz'' (Aquarius, 1991) – on "Rainy Days and You" only * B.B. King, ''King Size (B.B. King album), King Size'' (ABC, 1977) * Ben E. King, ''Let Me Live in Your Life'' (Atlantic, 1978) * Carole King, ''Speeding Time'' (Atlantic, 1983) * Peggy Lee, ''Let's Love (album), Let's Love'' (Atlantic, 1974) * Kenny Loggins, ''Celebrate Me Home'' (Columbia, 1977) – recorded in 1975–76 * Barry Manilow, ''Even Now (Barry Manilow album), Even Now'' (Arista, 1978) * Bette Midler, ''Broken Blossom'' (Atlantic, 1977) * Oliver Nelson, ''Skull Session'' (Flying Dutchman, 1975) * David "Fathead" Newman, ''Keep the Dream Alive (album), Keep the Dream Alive'' (Prestige, 1978) * Olivia Newton-John, ''Soul Kiss'' (MCA, 1985) * Minnie Riperton, ''Love Lives Forever'' (Capitol, 1980) – recorded in 1978 * Sonny Rollins, ''The Way I Feel (Sonny Rollins album), The Way I Feel'' (Milestone, 1977) * Brenda Russell, ''Between the Sun and the Moon'' (Dome, 2004) * Lalo Schifrin, ''Rollercoaster (soundtrack), Rollercoaster'' (MCA, 1977) – soundtrack * Diane Schuur, ''Schuur Thing'' (GRP, 1985) * Neil Sedaka, ''In the Pocket (Neil Sedaka album), In the Pocket'' (1980) * Raul Seixas, ''O Dia em que a Terra Parou'' (1977) * Livingston Taylor, ''Three Way Mirror'' (Epic, 1978) * Naoko Terai, ''Live'' (Videoarts Music, 2001) * Stanley Turrentine, ''Everybody Come On Out'' (Fantasy, 1976) * Sarah Vaughan, ''Songs of the Beatles'' (Atlantic, 1981) * Frankie Valli, ''Valli (album), Valli'' (Private Stock, 1976) * Grover Washington Jr., ''The Best Is Yet to Come (Grover Washington Jr. album), The Best Is Yet to Come'' (Elektra, 1982) * Syreeta Wright, ''Syreeta (1980 album), Syreeta'' (1980)

References

External links

Lee Ritenour official siteLee Ritenour Interview
NAMM Oral History Program (2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritenour, Lee 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American jazz guitarists Smooth jazz guitarists American session musicians Singers from California 1952 births Living people Grammy Award winners USC Thornton School of Music alumni GRP Records artists Epic Records artists Elektra Records artists Warner Records artists Guitarists from California Fourplay members GRP All-Star Big Band members Brass Fever members Discovery Records artists The Love Unlimited Orchestra members