Josh Ralph (born 1975), known professionally as J. Ralph, is an American composer, producer, singer/songwriter and social activist who focuses on creating awareness and change through music and film. A three-time Academy Award-nominated composer, Ralph's professional career began when he was signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

at age 22 as a recording artist. He is the founder of a music production company The Rumor Mill, and has written and produced the music for Grammy Award-winning artists, symphony orchestras, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, and former United States

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

. His music has sold more than 10 million records worldwide reaching the number one position on the ''Billboard'' charts in over 22 countries.

Music career

Honored by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for innovative and unique contributions to American music, Ralph is completely self-taught and does not read or write a single note of music. He is the founder of production company The Rumor Mill. His songs have been featured in commercial advertisements for

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

, and

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

. Ralph has recorded two CDs, ''The Illusionary Movements of Geraldine and Nazu'' (2005) and ''Music to Mauzner By'' (1999), the latter under the moniker "Spy". He has also written for live performance, with 2008's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Ellie and Mr. Greene" performed by the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus. Described by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' as the "go-to producer of documentary film scores", and by Indiewire as “Perhaps the best documentary composer working today”, Mr. Ralph has helped create some of the most influential documentaries of all time, revealing critically important social issues and culturally defining artists that “along with his partnering filmmakers and musicians, have spurned governments to act and introduced or amplified for millions of people, concerns that have might otherwise fallen under the radar” said the Smithsonian’s Dr. John Troutman, curator of Culture and Arts for the Smithsonian National Museum Of American History. Over the last decade, Ralph has written and produced the music for eight Oscar-winning/nominated documentary feature films including '' Man on Wire'' (2009), '' The Cove'' (2010), ''

Hell and Back Again ''Hell and Back Again'' is a 2011 American-British-Afghan documentary film produced, shot, and directed by Danfung Dennis, about a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who returns from the Afghanistan conflict with a badly broken leg and pos ...

'' (2012), '' Chasing Ice'' (2013), ''

Finding Vivian Maier ''Finding Vivian Maier'' is a 2013 American documentary film about the photographer Vivian Maier, written, directed, and produced by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, and executive produced by Jeff Garlin. Maier was a French-American woman who work ...

'' (2015), '' Virunga'' (2015), '' Racing Extinction'' (2016) and "'' Jim: The James Foley Story'' (2017)". “Like no other American composer before him, J. Ralph has created in very short order, a stunningly unique body of philanthropically minded musical works” continued Dr. Troutman of the Smithsonian. For his contribution to ''Chasing Ice'', Ralph received an Oscar nomination for his song "Before My Time", performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell. He received his second Oscar nomination for his song "

Manta Ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...

" co-written and performed by Anohni. For his contribution to ''Jim: The James Foley Story'', Ralph received his third Oscar nomination for "The Empty Chair", which he co-wrote and performed with Sting. Ralph is the first composer in the history of the Oscars to have received multiple nominations for Best Original song that originated from documentaries. Additionally, Ralph is the first composer in Academy Award's history to write and produce the original music for multiple Oscar-nominated documentary films in the same year and the first composer to have back to back nominations for best song in a documentary. On February 22, 2014, Ralph and the

Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1958, is a professional symphony orchestra based in Boulder, Colorado. It is led by Music Director Michael Butterman. The Boulder Philharmonic’s season at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colo ...

in Colorado performed several of his works. including "Before My Time", which Ralph sang. On August 1, 2015, Ralph created the music for the ''Projecting Change'' art installation event on the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

in New York City to raise awareness for

species extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. The songs included "One Candle", written and performed by Ralph and

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, and "Manta Ray" performed by Ralph and Anohni. For ''Virunga'', Ralph wrote and produced the song "We Will Not Go", performed by

Youssou Ndour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

, Salif Keita, and

Fally Ipupa Fally Ipupa N'simba (born December 14, 1977), known by his stage name Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer. From 1999 until 2006, he was a member of Quartier Latin International, the music ...

. Ralph recorded this song in Bambara,

Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

, French and English. Ralph was commissioned by

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

to write an original symphonic piece for Shark Week 2015 called "Theodora". The object was to raise awareness and money for species extinction, oceanic preservation, and sharks. Featuring violinist Joshua Bell, the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and London Voices, the piece was recorded at

Abbey Road studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in London. On January 5, 2016 it was announced that Ralph and Sting had written "The Empty Chair".

Collaborations

Ralph has written and produced songs in collaboration with a wide variety of artists, including

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

, Wynton Marsalis,

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

, Anohni (of

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...

), Joshua Bell, Karen O (of the

Yeah Yeah Yeah's The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

), Ezra Koneig (of Vampire Weekend), The

, The London Voices, The PS22 Chorus,

, Salif Keita, Fally Ipupa, Sean Lennon,

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

, Devendra Banhart,

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

, Vincent Gallo, David Garza, Ben Harper, Scarlett Johansson,

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

(of the Grateful Dead), Aston "Family Man" Barrett (of Bob Marley & The Wailers), Matisyahu, KRS-One, Paul Brady, Bonnie Bramlett,

Vashti Bunyan Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...

, Lila Downs, Nic Jones, Norah Jones,

Leah Siegel Leah Siegel is an American singer-songwriter and musician performing under the name Firehorse. Siegel wrote a song in a commercial for Topsy Foundation, which promotes early childhood development in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Th ...

and Ben Taylor.

Filmography as composer

*2006 - ''

Lucky Number Slevin ''Lucky Number Slevin'' (also known as ''The Wrong Man'' in Australia, ''The 7 Affair'' in Spain, ''Hitman for Hire'' in Mexico and ''Check-Mate'' in Brazil) is a 2006 neo-noir action crime thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by ...

'' *2007 - '' Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe'' *2008 - '' Man on Wire'' (Academy Award winner: Best Documentary) *2009 - '' The Cove'' (Academy Award winner: Best Documentary) *2010 - '' Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child'' *2011 - ''

'' (Academy Award nominated:Best Documentary) *2011 - '' Wretches & Jabberers'' *2011 - ''Deepest Dive: the Story of the Trieste'' *2012 - '' Maladies'' (Berlin Film Festival) *2012 - '' Chasing Ice'' (Academy Award nominated: Best Original Song. "Before My Time") *2012 - ''Turned Towards The Sun'' (London Film Festival) *2013 - ''

'' (Academy Award nominated: Best Documentary) *2014 - ''Garnet's Gold'' *2014 - '' Virunga'' (Academy Award Nominated: Best Documentary) *2014 - ''

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya ** Meru County, created by the merger of *** Meru Central District *** Meru North District *** Meru South District * Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park Tanza ...

'' (Sundance Film Festival World Premiere: Winner of Sundance Audience Award) *2015 - '' Racing Extinction'' (Sundance Film Festival World Premiere) (Academy Award nominated: Best Original Song, "Manta Ray") *2015 - '' Jim: The James Foley Story'' (Academy Award Nominated: Best Original Song. "The Empty Chair") *2019 - '' Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men'' (Emmy nomination For Best Writing)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph, J. 1975 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American multi-instrumentalists American classical composers American film score composers Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Record producers from New York (state)