Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five

gold records Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and three

Grammy Awards 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 ...

in his career. His album '' The In Crowd'' earned Lewis critical praise and the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. His best known singles include " The In Crowd", "

Wade in the Water "Wade in the Water" (Roud 5439) is an African American jubilee song, a spiritual—in reference to a genre of music "created and first sung by African Americans in slavery." The lyrics to "Wade in the Water" were first co-published in 1901 in ...

", and "

Sun Goddess A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

". Until 2009, he was the host of the ''Ramsey Lewis Morning Show'' on the Chicago radio station

WNUA WCHI-FM (95.5 MHz) is a mainstream rock formatted radio station located in Chicago, Illinois, owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WCHI-FM has studios located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago, and it broad ...

. Lewis was also active in musical education in Chicago. He founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, established the Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program, and served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The

Chicago High School for the Arts Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) is a public four–year college preparatory visual and performing arts high school located in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Operated by the Chicago Public Schools ...

Life and career

Ramsey Lewis was born on May 27, 1935, in Chicago to Ramsey Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis. He began taking piano lessons at the age of four. As a young man, Lewis played with a number of local ensembles, such as

Edward Virgil Abner Edward Virgil Abner (sometimes billed as E. Virgil Abner or simply Virgil Abner; 1925–1984) was an American singer of the mid 20th century, primarily active in the 1950s and 1960s. Abner studied at the Chicago Musical College, and in 1950 was th ...

's Knights of Music. Lewis would eventually join a jazz group called the clefs. He later formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist

Eldee Young Eldee Young (January 7, 1936 – February 12, 2007) was a jazz double-bass and cello player who performed in the cool jazz, post bop and rhythm and blues mediums. Born in 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, Young started playing upright bass at the age of ...

. They eventually joined up with

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

. In 1956, the trio issued their debut album, ''

Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing ''Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing'' (later rereleased as ''Swingin) is the debut album by American jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, recorded in 1956 and released on the Argo label.

''. 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 Young-Holt Unlimited (also known as Young-Holt Trio), were a U.S. soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, ...

and were replaced by

Cleveland Eaton Cleveland Josephus Eaton II (August 31, 1939July 5, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist, producer, arranger, composer, publisher, and head of his own record company in Fairfield, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. His most famous accompl ...

and

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

. White left to form

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

and was replaced by Morris Jennings in 1970. Later, Frankie Donaldson and Bill Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on Lewis' 1981 album ''Three Piece Suite''. By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation's most successful jazz pianists, having had hits with "The In Crowd", "

Hang On Sloopy "Hang On Sloopy" (originally "My Girl Sloopy") is a 1964 song written by Wes Farrell and Bert Berns. Rhythm and blues vocal group the Vibrations were the first to record the tune in 1964. Atlantic Records released it as a single, which reached ...

", and "

." All three singles each sold over one million copies and were awarded gold discs. In the 1970s, Lewis often played

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic piano and using an additional keyboardist in his groups. In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted the weekly syndicated radio program ''Legends of Jazz'', created in 1990, syndicated by

United Stations Radio Networks United Stations Radio Networks (USRN) is a radio network that provides a variety of radio programs and programming services for radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. It is based in New York City. History The company was fou ...

. He also hosted the ''Ramsey Lewis Morning Show'' on Chicago "

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

" radio station

(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. Ramsey founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, which promoted musical instrument education to children, in 2005. 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 Larry Gray is a Chicago musician known for his compositions and skill on the double bass and cello. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh.University of Il ...

Dr. Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note be ...

Joey Defrancesco Joey DeFrancesco (April 10, 1971August 25, 2022) was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist, and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, and recorded extensively as a sideman with such leading jazz perfo ...

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

Kurt Elling Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Rockford, Elling became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran chur ...

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

, 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 birth ...

. Lewis was artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is an outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September. The first orchestra to perform at Ravinia Festival was the New York Philharmonic unde ...

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located o ...

) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey also served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The

Distinctions, honors, awards

Lewis was an honorary member of

Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...

fraternity. In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...

upon delivering the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony. 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 Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

. Lewis was an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

Death

Lewis died in his sleep at his home in Chicago, on September 12, 2022, at age 87.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As sideman

With

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz Jazz drumming, drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in h ...

* '' MAX'' (Argo, 1958) With

Jimmy Woode James Bryant Woode (September 23, 1926 – April 23, 2005) was an American jazz bassist. He played and/or recorded in bands with Flip Phillips, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Nat Pierce, Sidney Be ...

* '' The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode'' (Argo, 1957) With Young/Holt * ''Feature Spot'' (Cadet, 1967)

Awards and recognitions

KPLU In-Studio Performance Ramsey Lewis 2

Grammy history

Certifications

Recognition

* 1997: Ramsey Lewis was inducted as a Laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in the area of The Performing Arts. * 2002: Lewis participated in the

2002 Winter Olympics torch relay The 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay was a 65-day run, from December 4, 2001 until February 8, 2002, prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. The runners carried the Olympic Flame throughout the United States – following its lighting in Olympia, Gree ...

, lighting the cauldron for its brief stop in Chicago. * 2003:

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

Image Award, Best Jazz Artist, for his album ''Simple Pleasures'' (2003) * 2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, ''With One Voice'' (2005) * 2007:

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, Jazz Masters Award * 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.

References

External links

* * * *
PBS – ''Legends of Jazz'' (TV)

Ramsey Lewis interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 2010

Ramsey's Rhythms

''Legends of Jazz'' podcasts
*
''Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis'' (radio)
at

WDCB WDCB (90.9 FM) is a public radio station broadcasting a jazz format, serving primarily the Chicago area, and beyond through its streaming audio. The station is licensed to and owned by College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States, a ...

Ramsey Lewis Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Ramsey 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists African-American jazz pianists American male jazz musicians American male pianists Argo Records artists Cadet Records artists Chicago Musical College alumni Grammy Award winners GRP All-Star Big Band members Jazz musicians from Chicago Mercury Records artists Northern soul musicians Radio personalities from Chicago Smooth jazz pianists Soul-jazz pianists