# Lee Ritenour

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

## Biography

Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. 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. He developed a love for jazz and was influenced by guitarist Wes Montgomery. At the age of 17 he worked with Lena Horne and Tony Bennett. He studied classical guitar at the University of Southern California.

## 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'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 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 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. His next album, Earth Run, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. Portrait (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, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Harvey Mason. 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
* Eric Tagg
* Patti Austin
* Ivan Lins
* Phil Perry
* João Bosco
* Kate Markowitz
* Maxi Priest
* Lisa Fischer
* Michael McDonald

## Awards
### Grammy Awards

Ritenour has received one Grammy award out of sixteen nominations.
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1978 | Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition | "The Captain's Journey" | Nominated |
| 1981 | Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance | RIT | Nominated |
| 1985 | Grammy Award for Best Arrangement on an Instrumental | "Early A.M. Attitude" | Won |
| 1985 | Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) | Harlequin | Nominated |
| 1985 | Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) | "Harlequin" | Nominated |
| 1986 | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental | Earth Run | Nominated |
| 1986 | Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition | "Earth Run" | Nominated |
| 1990 | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance | Stolen Moments | Nominated |
| 1993 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (Instrumental) | Between the Sheets | Nominated |
| 1993 | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | "4 on 6" | Nominated |
| 1993 | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group | Wes Bound | Nominated |
| 1994 | Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals | "Ability to Swing" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance | Elixir | Nominated |
| 1995 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance | Larry and Lee | Nominated |
| 1997 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance | Alive in L.A. | Nominated |
| 1997 | Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album | Two Worlds | Nominated |
* Album of the Year, Jazziz magazine (2010)
* Best International Instrumentalist, Echo Jazz Award (2011)

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Label | Year released |
| Title | US | US Jazz | Label | Year released |
| First Course | — | — | Epic | 1976 |
| Captain Fingers | 178 | — | Epic | 1977 |
| Gentle Thoughts | — | — | JVC | 1977 |
| Sugar Loaf Express | — | — | JVC | 1977 |
| Friendship | — | — | JVC | 1978 |
| The Captain's Journey | 78 | — | Elektra | 1978 |
| Rio | 163 | — | JVC | 1979 |
| Feel the Night | 136 | — | Elektra | 1979 |
| Friendship | — | — | Elektra | 1979 |
| Rit | 26 | — | Elektra | 1981 |
| Rit/2 | 99 | — | Elektra | 1982 |
| On the Line | — | — | Elektra Musician | 1983 |
| Banded Together | 145 | — | Elektra | 1984 |
| Harlequin, with Dave Grusin | 192 | — | GRP | 1985 |
| Earth Run | — | — | GRP | 1986 |
| Portrait | — | — | GRP | 1987 |
| Festival | 156 | — | GRP | 1988 |
| Color Rit | — | — | GRP | 1989 |
| Stolen Moments | — | — | GRP | 1990 |
| Collection | — | — | GRP | 1991 |
| Wes Bound | — | 19 | GRP | 1993 |
| Larry & Lee, with Larry Carlton | — | 4 | GRP | 1995 |
| Alive in L.A. | — | 18 | GRP | 1997 |
| This Is Love | — | 4 | I.E. Music | 1998 |
| Two Worlds, with Dave Grusin | — | — | Decca | 2000 |
| Rit's House | — | 5 | Verve | 2002 |
| World of Brazil | — | — | GRP | 2003 |
| Overtime | — | 24 | Peak | 2005 |
| Smoke 'n' Mirrors | — | 10 | Peak | 2006 |
| Amparo, with Dave Grusin | — | — | Decca | 2008 |
| 6 String Theory | — | — | Concord | 2010 |
| Rhythm Sessions | — | 3 | Concord | 2012 |
| A Twist of Rit | — | 3 | Concord | 2015 |
| Dreamcatcher | — | — | The Players Club | 2020 |
| Brasil | — | — | Candid | 2024 |

### Charted singles

| Date | Title | Position | Chart (US) |
| 1981 | "Countdown Captain Fingers" | 43 | Dance |
| 1981 | "Is It You" | 15 | Hot 100 |
| 1982 | "Cross My Heart" | 69 | Hot 100 |
| 1993 | "Waiting in Vain" (ft. Maxi Priest) | 54 | R&B |
| 2007 | "Smoke 'n' Mirrors" | 27 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2007 | "Forget Me Nots" | 14 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2010 | "Shape of My Heart" (Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather & Andy McKee) | 19 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2010 | "Put the Top Down" (Dave Koz ft. Lee Ritenour) | 1 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2012 | "Roadtrip" (Michael Lington ft. Lee Ritenour) | 3 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2013 | "The Village" | 3 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2013 | "L.A. by Bike" | 15 | Smooth Jazz |
| 2015 | "A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That" | 5 | Smooth Jazz |

### As a 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" from the album Right On Time by Brothers Johnson
* 1987 Joyride - track 6 "Midi Citi" - (En Pointe)
* 1985 American Flyer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with Greg Mathieson - GRP

### As sideman

With Alessi Brothers
* Driftin' (A&M, 1977)
* Words & Music (A&M, 1978)
With Patti Austin
* Love Is Gonna Getcha (GRP, 1990)
* That Secret Place (GRP, 1994)
With Carole Bayer Sager
* Carole Bayer Sager (Elektra, 1977)
* ...Too (Elektra, 1978)
* Sometimes Late at Night (Boardwalk, 1981)
With George Benson
* Give Me the Night (Warner Bros., 1980)
* Songs and Stories (Concord, 2009)
With The Brothers Johnson
* Look Out for #1 (A&M, 1977)
* Right on Time (A&M, 1978)
With Natalie Cole
* Thankful (Capitol, 1977)
* Stardust (Elektra, 1996)
With Brass Fever
* Brass Fever (Impulse!, 1975)
* Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)
With Four Tops
* Night Lights Harmony (ABC, 1975)
With Aretha Franklin
* You (Atlantic, 1975)
* Sweet Passion (Atlantic, 1977)
With Art Garfunkel
* Breakaway (Columbia, 1975)
* Fate for Breakfast (Columbia, 1979)
With Margie Joseph
* Hear the Words, Feel the Feeling (Cotillion, 1976)
* Feeling My Way (Atlantic, 1978)
With Bill LaBounty
* Promised Love (Curb, 1975)
* This Night Won't Last Forever (Warner Bros., 1978)
With Melissa Manchester
* Don't Cry Out Loud (Arista, 1978)
* Mathematics (MCA, 1985)
With Alphonse Mouzon
* Mind Transplant (Blue Note, 1974)
* The Man Incognito (Blue Note, 1975)
With Leo Sayer
* Endless Flight (Chrysalis, 1976)
* Thunder in My Heart (Chrysalis, 1977)
With Carly Simon
* Playing Possum (Elektra, 1975)
* Torch (Warner Bros., 1981)
With Frank Sinatra
* L.A. Is My Lady (Qwest, 1984)
With Barbra Streisand
* Lazy Afternoon (Columbia, 1975)
* Songbird (Columbia, 1978)
* Guilty (Columbia, 1980) – rec. 1979–1980
With Lenny Williams
* Sparks of Love (ABC, 1978)
With others
* Herb Alpert, Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela (Horizon, 1978)
* Paul Anka, The Painter (United Artists, 1976)
* Stephen Bishop, Careless (ABC, 1976)
* Simone, Corpo e Alma (CBS, 1982)
* Lisa Hartman Black, Lisa Hartman (Kirshner, 1976)
* Bobby Bland, Reflections in Blue (ABC, 1977)
* Bloodstone, Don't Stop (Motown, 1978)
* Debby Boone, Debby Boone (Capitol, 1979)
* Glen Campbell, Basic (Capitol, 1978)
* Captain & Tennille, Make Your Move (Casablanca, 1979)
* Keith Carradine, I'm Easy (Asylum, 1976)
* David Castle, Castle in the Sky (Parachute, 1977)
* Cher, I'd Rather Believe in You (Warner Bros., 1976)
* Judy Collins, Hard Times for Lovers (Elektra, 1979)
* Judy Collins, Home Again (Elektra, 1984)
* Sparks, Introducing Sparks (Columbia, 1977)
* Paulinho da Costa, Agora (Pablo, 1977)
* England Dan & John Ford Coley, Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive (Big Tree, 1979)
* John Denver, I Want to Live (RCA, 1977)
* Diana DeGarmo, Blue Skies (RCA, 2004)
* Neil Diamond, Heartlight (Columbia, 1982)
* Sheena Easton, A Private Heaven (EMI, 1984) – rec. 1983–1984
* Yvonne Elliman, Yvonne (RSO, 1979)
* Roberta Flack, I'm the One (Atlantic, 1982)
* Pink Floyd, The Wall (EMI, 1979)
* Ted Gärdestad, Blue Virgin Isles (Polar, 1978)
* Dizzy Gillespie, Free Ride (Pablo, 1977)
* Cyndi Grecco, Making Our Dreams Come True (Private Stock Records, 1976)
* Lani Hall, Sweet Bird (A&M, 1976)
* John Handy, Carnival (Impulse, 1977)
* Eddie Henderson, Comin' Through (Capitol, 1977)
* Joe Henderson, Black Miracle (Milestone, 1976)
* Marcia Hines, Ooh Child (Miracle Records, 1979)
* Al Jarreau, All Fly Home (Warner Bros., 1978)
* Al Johnson, Back for More (Columbia, 1980)
* Quincy Jones, Roots (A&M, 1977)
* Karimata, Jezz (Aquarius, 1991) – on "Rainy Days and You" only
* B.B. King, 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 (Atlantic, 1974)
* Kenny Loggins, Celebrate Me Home (Columbia, 1977) – rec. 1975–1976
* Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., Marilyn & Billy (Columbia, 1978)
* Mary MacGregor, Mary MacGregor (RSO, 1980)
* Barry Manilow, Even Now (Arista, 1978)
* Letta Mbulu, There's Music in the Air (A&M, 1976)
* Letta Mbulu, Letta (A&M, 1978)
* Lonette McKee, Words and Music (Warner Bros., 1978)
* Bette Midler, Broken Blossom (Atlantic, 1977)
* Walter Murphy, Phantom of the Opera (Private Stock, 1978)
* Anne Murray, Together (Capitol, 1975)
* Oliver Nelson, Skull Session (Flying Dutchman, 1975)
* David "Fathead" Newman, Keep the Dream Alive (Prestige, 1978)
* Olivia Newton-John, Soul Kiss (MCA, 1985)
* Wayne Newton, Tomorrow (Chelsea Records, 1976)
* Kenny Nolan, A Song Between Us (Polydor, 1978)
* Freda Payne, Hot (Capitol, 1979)
* June Pointer, Baby Sister (Planet, 1983)
* Michel Polnareff, Michel Polnareff (Atlantic, 1975)
* Minnie Riperton, Love Lives Forever (Capitol, 1980) – rec. 1978
* Sonny Rollins, The Way I Feel (Milestone, 1977)
* Brenda Russell, Between the Sun and the Moon (Dome, 2004)
* Evie Sands, Suspended Animation (RCA Victor, 1979)
* Lalo Schifrin, Rollercoaster (MCA, 1977) – soundtrack
* Diane Schuur, Schuur Thing (GRP, 1985)
* Seals and Crofts, Get Closer (Warner Bros., 1976)
* Neil Sedaka, All You Need Is the Music (Elektra, 1978)
* Neil Sedaka, In the Pocket (Elektra, 1980)
* Raul Seixas, O Dia em que a Terra Parou (WEA, 1977)
* Nancy Shanks, Nancy Shanx (United Artists, 1977)
* Steely Dan, Aja (ABC Records, 1977)
* Suzanne Stevens, Crystal Carriage (Capitol, 1977)
* Livingston Taylor, Three Way Mirror (Epic, 1978)
* Naoko Terai, Live (Videoarts Music, 2001)
* Stanley Turrentine, Everybody Come On Out (Fantasy, 1976)
* Frankie Valli, Valli (Private Stock, 1976)
* Sarah Vaughan, Songs of the Beatles (Atlantic, 1981)
* Grover Washington Jr., The Best Is Yet to Come (Elektra, 1982)
* The Whispers, Open Up Your Love (Soul Train, 1977)
* Syreeta Wright, Syreeta (Tamla, 1980)