Webster Samuel Lewis (September 1, 1943 – November 20, 2002) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

composer, arranger and keyboardist.

Career

Lewis was born in 1943 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

. At a young age, his family encouraged him to take up music. Later, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

and then completed a master's degree at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...

with

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

as his mentor. He started out in

working with drummer Tony Williams, George Russell,

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Stanton Davis Stanton Davis, Jr. (born November 10, 1945, New Orleans) is an American jazz trumpeter and educator. Davis studied at the Berklee College of Music (1967–69) and the New England Conservatory (1969–73), and served as program director for MIT' ...

, and the Piano Choir. His first release was ''Live at Club 7'', issued in 1972. He signed with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

in 1976 and began releasing

music, where he found commercial success. He had several charting singles including 1977's "On the Town/Saturday Night Steppin' Out/Do It with Style" (U.S. Club Play #36) and 1980's " Give Me Some Emotion" (U.S. #107, R&B Singles #41). Lewis worked extensively as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

and studio arranger, for

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

(he also toured with both of them), and others. He also produced for such artists as

Gwen McCrae Gwen McCrae ( Mosley, December 21, 1943) is an American singer, best known for her 1975 hit " Rockin' Chair". Life and career 1960s–1970s Gwen was the youngest of five children, She began performing in local clubs as a teenager, and singing ...

and

Michael Wycoff Michael Wycoff (January 1, 1956 – March 13, 2019) was an American R&B singer. He scored several hits on the US R&B chart during the 1980s. Biography Wycoff attended Wilmington Junior High School and Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington ...

. He later branched into soundtrack work for film and television, including for the films '' The Hearse'' (1980), '' Body and Soul'' (1981) and ''

My Tutor ''My Tutor'' is a 1983 American sex comedy film directed by George Bowers. The film focuses on high school graduates (including Matt Lattanzi and Crispin Glover) as they attempt to lose their virginity during the summer vacation before college, ...

'' (1983). He also taught jazz voice and arrangement classes at Howard University in Washington as a visiting professor from 1995 to 1999. Lewis died at his home in Barryville, New York, on November 20, 2002, as a result of pneumonia and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

Discography

Albums

With The Piano Choir * '' Handscapes'' (Strata-East, 1973) * '' Handscapes 2'' (Strata-East, 1975)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Webster 1943 births 2002 deaths American jazz organists American male organists American disco musicians 20th-century American musicians The Tony Williams Lifetime members 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Morgan State University alumni New England Conservatory alumni