Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. (b. May 27, 1935) is an American jazz icon, composer, and pianist. Has been referred to as “the great performer,”^[1] a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.) along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis recorded eighty-plus albums, has received five gold records, and three Grammy Awards so far in his career. Ramsey Lewis File links The following pages link to this file: Ramsey Lewis, Jr. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by Music Corporation of America (MCA). ... The Chess Records logo, as featured on this Memphis Slim single. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... GRP may refer to: Gastrin Releasing Peptide Gibraltar Reform Party Glass-reinforced plastic Gross Rating Point in television GRP Records Grusin Rosen Production Gentoo Reference Platform (pre-compiled packages for Gentoo Linux) .GRP file extention; used for program groups for Program Manager, and also in an unrelated code for data... BGO Records (Beat Goes On) is a record label specializing in classic rock, blues, jazz and folk music. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... Bach in a 1748 portrait by Haussmann Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced ) (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

Biography

Ramsey Lewis born in Chicago, Illinois, to the parents of Ramsey, Sr. and Pauline.^[2] Lewis started taking piano lessons at the age of four. At age fifteen he join his first jazz band. The seven piece group was called "The Cleffs", which provided Lewis to his first involvement with the great music of jazz. The emerging group from this was the drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio. They started as primarily a jazz unit but after their hit, The In Crowd, in 1965 (the single reached fifth place on the pop charts, and the album second place) the trio concentrated more and more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. In the late 1970s an additional keyboard player was frequently added to the lineup. Ramsey Lewis first captivated fans with his first album Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing by the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956. By 1965, he was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with The In Crowd, Hang On Sloopy and Wade In The Water. Most of his recordings (particularly by the mid-'60s) were very accessible and attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and hiring an additional keyboardist.^[3] Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Cleveland Josephus Cleve Eaton II (b. ... Maurice White in Munich, Germany in 1975 Maurice White (born December 19, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American soul, funk, and R&B singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and bandleader. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In addition to recording and performing, he is / has been a radio host on Chicago's Smooth Jazz station, WNUA (95.5 FM). His syndicated show Legends of Jazz, created in 1990, featuring classic jazz recordings from artists such as David Sanborn, George Duke, Charlie Parker, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau, Miles Davis, can be heard in 60 cities in the United States and other countries as well.^[4] Ramsey Lewis brings together the influential artists in Jazz for live performances and lively conversations. He also include "young and current participants" in the musical genre as well. The Legends of Jazz can now be seen on WTTW - Channel 11, Friday nights at 9:30PM (CST).^[5] WNUA (95. ... David Sanborn in concert in San Francisco. ... George Duke (born 12 January 1946) is a piano and synthesizer pioneer. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Kurt Elling Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz vocalist. ... Alwyn Lopez Al Jarreau (born April 12, 1940) is an American singer. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... WTTW (Channel 11) is one of three PBS member stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on March 5, 1955 and is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications Inc. ...

On December 4, 2006, the "Ramsey Lewis Morning Show" became a part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show is still based in Chicago, as it has always been. Lewis helped organize the Ravinia Festival's, Highland Park, Illinois, jazz Mentor Program and in January of 2007, the Dave Brubeck Institute invited Lewis to be on the Honorary Board of Friends of the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Merit School of Music, an inner city music program in Chicago. Early 2005 the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was created to help to connect at-risk children to the world of music. Out of that foundation he plans to form his own Youth Choir and Youth orchestra. Lewis serves as artistic director of jazz at Ravinia a world music series, and an off-season showcase for "Rising Stars."^[6] Ravinia Park is a private park in Highland Park, Illinois that is best known as the site of the Ravinia Festival, a series of outdoor concerts held every summer from June to September. ... Incorporated City in 1869. ... David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ...

Ramsey Lewis's With One Voice (2005) release pays homage to his gospel roots all while maintaining his classic style. With the help of gospel favorites Smokie Norful, Darius Brooks, and Donald Lawrence, Lewis delivers an emotion-packed, soul-stirring, album. Lewis also enlisted the help of his church's choir, pastored by his older sister, to sing on several of the album's tracks. The J.W. James Memorial A.M.E. Church Combined Choir is breath-taking, adding so much life, freedom, and hope to With One Voice. Smokie Norful, modern soul-gospel singer, best known for his 2002 album I Need You Now and his 2004 release, Nothing Without You, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2005. ... Donald Lawrence is an American gospel music songwriter, record producer and artist. ...

Lewis, still lives in Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He is blessed with seven children, 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Ramsey Lewis is clearly not ready for a rocking piano bench -- "unless it rocks me into my grave when I'm 100 years old!"^[7] Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ...

Discography

See Ramsey Lewis discography Ramsey Lewis, is an American jazz icon, composer, and pianist. ...

Selective awards and recognitions

Grammy history

• Career Wins: 3^[8]
• Career Nominations:

Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

Gold Records

Currently, the normal RIAA certifications for a gold album is 500,000 units. In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of sales albums and singles have made. ...

Recognitions

• 2002: Ramsey Lewis, carried the Winter 2002 Olympic Torch, Ramsey lights the cauldron for it's brief stop in Chicago.^[9]

• 2003: NAACP Image Award, Best Jazz Artist, for his album Simple Pleasures (2003)^[10]

• 2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, With One Voice (2005)^[11]

• 2007: National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Masters Award^[12]

• 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.^[13]

Footnotes

References

Lyons, Leonard S. The Great Jazz Pianists: Speaking of Their Lives and Music (1989), Da Capo Press - ISBN 0306803437

External links

• Ramsey Lewis official site
• PBS - Legends of Jazz
• Interview, About.com
• Ramsey's Rhythms
• Jazz Monthly Feature Interview: Ramsey Lewis

See also

Chicago's Smooth Jazz station
Legends of Jazz podcasts