# Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards 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", and "Sun Goddess". Until 2009, he was the host of the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on the Chicago radio station WNUA.
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.

## Life and career

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. was born on May 27, 1935, in Chicago to Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis and Pauline Lewis. He grew up in the Cabrini–Green Homes Housing Projects, an area native to soul singers Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. Both of his parents came from the Deep South. His father was a church choir director who encouraged him to study music. Thus, Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four with Ernestine Bruce, the church pianist and organist. When he was 11, Bruce recommended he study with Dorothy Mendelssohn at the Chicago Musical College. Mendelssohn taught him classical technique with the philosophy that "it freed the performer from the thinking about the notes so he could concentrate on the music." Lewis realized what she meant when he saw Wynton Kelly with the Miles Davis group, Kelly asked him to play something, and Kelly complimented him by saying "Boy, I wish I had technique."
As a young man, Lewis played with a number of local ensembles, such as Edward Virgil Abner'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. They eventually signed to Chess Records.
In 1956, the trio released their debut album, Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing.
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 and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White left to form Earth, Wind & Fire 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", and "Wade in the Water." All three singles each sold over one million copies and were awarded gold discs. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, 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. He also hosted the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on Chicago "smooth jazz" radio station WNUA (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, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey Defrancesco, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Benny Golson, Pat Metheny, and Tony Bennett.
Lewis was artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey also served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The Chicago High School for the Arts.

## Distinctions, honors, awards

Lewis was an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Chicago 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. Lewis was an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

## Personal life

From 1954 to 1988, Lewis was married to Geraldine Taylor (1935–2005), with whom he had seven children. In 1990, he married Jan Tamillow. His sisters, Gloria Johnson (1941–2021) and Lucille Jackson (1932–2012), served as music minister and co-pastor respectively, at the James Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church in Maywood, Illinois. On September 12, 2022, Lewis passed away in his sleep at his home in Chicago at age 87.

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Label |
| Year | Title | US | US R&B | US Jazz | UK | Label |
| 1956 | Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1958 | Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Jazz, Volume 2 | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1958 | Lem Winchester and the Ramsey Lewis Trio | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1959 | Down to Earth (The Ramsey Lewis Trio Plays Music from the Soil) | ― | ― | ― | ― | EmArcy |
| 1959 | An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1960 | Early in the Morning (Lorez Alexandria with the Ramsey Lewis Trio) | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1960 | Stretching Out | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1960 | The Ramsey Lewis Trio in Chicago | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1961 | More Music from the Soil | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1961 | Never on Sunday | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1961 | Sound of Christmas | 129 | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1962 | The Sound of Spring | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1962 | Country Meets the Blues | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1962 | Bossa Nova | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1963 | Pot Luck | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1963 | Barefoot Sunday Blues | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1964 | Bach to the Blues | 125 | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1964 | The Ramsey Lewis Trio at the Bohemian Caverns | 103 | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1964 | More Sounds of Christmas | 8 | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1965 | You Better Believe Me (with Jean DuShon) | ― | ― | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1965 | The In Crowd | 2 | 1 | ― | ― | Argo |
| 1965 | Hang On Ramsey! | 15 | 4 | ― | 20 | Cadet |
| 1965 | Choice! The Best of the Ramsey Lewis Trio (compilation) | 54 | 9 | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1966 | Wade in the Water | 16 | 2 | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1966 | The Movie Album | 124 | 5 | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1966 | Goin' Latin | 95 | 16 | 2 | ― | Cadet |
| 1967 | Dancing in the Street | 59 | 16 | 3 | ― | Cadet |
| 1967 | Up Pops Ramsey Lewis | 52 | 25 | 7 | ― | Cadet |
| 1968 | Maiden Voyage | 55 | 14 | 3 | ― | Cadet |
| 1968 | Mother Nature's Son | 156 | 10 | 3 | ― | Cadet |
| 1968 | Ramsey Lewis Live in Tokyo | ― | ― | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1969 | Encore! Ramsey Lewis in Tokyo (Vol. 2) | ― | ― | ― | ― | Chess/Victor (Japan) |
| 1969 | Another Voyage | 139 | 34 | 5 | ― | Cadet |
| 1969 | The Piano Player | 157 | ― | 9 | ― | Cadet |
| 1970 | Them Changes | 177 | 34 | 4 | ― | Cadet |
| 1971 | Back to the Roots | 163 | 25 | 3 | ― | Cadet |
| 1972 | The Groover | ― | ― | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1972 | The Best of Ramsey Lewis (compilation) | 172 | ― | 5 | ― | Cadet |
| 1972 | Upendo Ni Pamoja | 79 | 9 | 1 | ― | Columbia |
| 1973 | Funky Serenity | 117 | ― | 4 | ― | Columbia |
| 1973 | Ramsey Lewis' Newly Recorded All-Time Non-Stop Golden Hits | 198 | 50 | 32 | ― | Columbia |
| 1974 | Solar Wind | ― | ― | 29 | ― | Columbia |
| 1974 | Sun Goddess | 12 | 1 | 1 | ― | Columbia |
| 1974 | Solid Ivory | ― | ― | ― | ― | Cadet |
| 1975 | Don't It Feel Good | 46 | 5 | 3 | ― | Columbia |
| 1976 | Salongo | 77 | 17 | 7 | ― | Columbia |
| 1977 | Love Notes | 79 | 31 | 7 | ― | Columbia |
| 1977 | Tequila Mockingbird | 111 | ― | 3 | ― | Columbia |
| 1978 | Legacy | 149 | ― | 10 | ― | Columbia |
| 1979 | Ramsey | ― | ― | 21 | ― | Columbia |
| 1980 | Routes | 173 | 51 | 7 | ― | Columbia |
| 1981 | Blues for the Night Owl | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1981 | Three Piece Suite | 152 | 52 | 10 | ― | Columbia |
| 1982 | Ramsey Lewis Live at the Savoy | ― | 50 | 12 | ― | Columbia |
| 1982 | Chance Encounter | ― | ― | 16 | ― | Columbia |
| 1983 | Les Fleurs | ― | ― | 10 | ― | Columbia |
| 1983 | Reunion | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1984 | The Two of Us (with Nancy Wilson) | 146 | 42 | 5 | ― | Columbia |
| 1985 | Fantasy | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1987 | Keys to the City | ― | ― | 22 | ― | Columbia |
| 1988 | Classic Encounter | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1989 | We Meet Again (with Billy Taylor) | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1989 | Urban Renewal | ― | ― | ― | ― | Columbia |
| 1992 | Ivory Pyramid | ― | ― | 7 | ― | GRP |
| 1993 | Sky Islands | ― | ― | 4 | ― | GRP |
| 1995 | Urban Knights I | ― | ― | ― | ― | GRP |
| 1996 | Between the Keys | ― | ― | 17 | ― | GRP |
| 1997 | Urban Knights II | ― | ― | ― | ― | GRP |
| 1998 | Dance of the Soul | ― | ― | 11 | ― | GRP |
| 1999 | Appassionata | ― | ― | 5 | ― | Narada |
| 2000 | Urban Knights III | ― | ― | ― | ― | Narada |
| 2001 | Urban Knights IV | ― | ― | ― | ― | Narada |
| 2002 | Meant to Be (with Nancy Wilson) | ― | ― | 3 | ― | Narada |
| 2003 | Urban Knights V | ― | ― | ― | ― | Narada |
| 2003 | Simple Pleasures (with Nancy Wilson) | ― | ― | 9 | ― | Narada |
| 2004 | Time Flies | ― | ― | 10 | ― | Narada |
| 2005 | Urban Knights VI | ― | ― | ― | ― | Narada |
| 2005 | With One Voice | ― | ― | 12 | ― | Narada |
| 2009 | Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey | ― | ― | ― | ― | Concord |
| 2011 | Taking Another Look | ― | ― | 13 | ― | Hidden Beach |
| 2019 | Urban Knights VII | ― | ― | ― | ― | Ropeadope |
| 2021 | Manha de Carnaval | ― | ― | ― | ― | Above Ground |
| 2022 | The Beatles Songbook | ― | ― | ― | ― | Steele |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |||||||

### Singles

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
| Year | Title | US Pop | US R&B | US Dance | CAN | UK | Certifications |
| 1964 | "Something You Got" (as the Ramsey Lewis Trio) | 63 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1965 | "The 'In' Crowd" (as the Ramsey Lewis Trio) | 5 | 2 | ― | 6 | ― | BPI: Silver |
| 1965 | "Jingle Bells" (as the Ramsey Lewis Trio) | 21 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1965 | "Hang On Sloopy" (as the Ramsey Lewis Trio) | 11 | 6 | ― | 37 | ― | |
| 1966 | "Winter Wonderland" | 23 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1966 | "Wade in the Water" | 19 | 3 | ― | 32 | 31 | |
| 1966 | "Up Tight" | 49 | 30 | ― | 50 | ― | |
| 1966 | "Hi-Heel Sneakers" | 70 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1966 | "A Hard Day's Night" | 29 | ― | ― | 11 | ― | |
| 1967 | "Soul Man" | 49 | ― | ― | 64 | ― | |
| 1967 | "One, Two, Three" | 67 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1967 | "Day Tripper" | 74 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1967 | "Dancing in the Street" | 84 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1968 | "Since You've Been Gone" | 98 | ― | ― | 100 | ― | |
| 1969 | "Julia" | 76 | 37 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1972 | "Slipping into Darkness" | 101 | 44 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1973 | "Kufanya Mapenzi (Making Love)" | 93 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1975 | "Sun Goddess" (with Earth, Wind & Fire) | 44 | 20 | 5 | ― | ― | |
| 1975 | "Hot Dawgit" (with Earth, Wind & Fire) | 50 | 61 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "What's the Name of This Funk (Spider Man)" | 69 | 50 | 6 | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "Don't It Feel Good" | — | 99 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "Brazilica" | — | 88 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1977 | "Spring High" | — | 85 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1981 | "So Much More" | — | 93 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1982 | "You Never Know" | — | 64 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1985 | "This Ain't No Fantasy" | — | 88 | 48 | ― | ― | |
| 1987 | "7–11" | — | 67 | ― | ― | ― | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |||||||

### As sideman

With Max Roach
* MAX (Argo, 1958)
With Jimmy Woode
* The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode (Argo, 1957)
With Young/Holt
* Feature Spot (Cadet, 1967)

## Awards and recognitions

The Grammy Awards are bestowed annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lewis has received three awards out of four nominations.

### Grammy history

| Year | Category | Title | Genre | Label | Result |
| 1965 | Best Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist with Small Group | "The In Crowd" | Jazz | Argo/Chess | Won |
| 1965 | Record of the Year | "The In Crowd (Single)" | | Argo/Chess | Nominated |
| 1966 | Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance – Vocal or Instrumental | "Hold It Right There" | R&B | Chess | Won |
| 1973 | Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance | "Hang On Sloopy" | R&B | MCA | Won |

### Certifications

Albums :
| Year | Title | Certification | Label |
| 1965 | The In Crowd | US RIAA: Gold | Argo |
| 1966 | Hang On Ramsey! | US RIAA: Gold | Cadet |
| 1966 | Wade in the Water | US RIAA: Gold | Cadet |
| 1968 | Sound of Christmas | US RIAA: Gold | Argo |
| 1976 | Sun Goddess | US RIAA: Gold | Columbia |

### Recognition

* 1997: Ramsey Lewis was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois 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, lighting the cauldron for its brief stop in Chicago.
* 2004: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist.
* 2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, (With One Voice)
* 2007: National Endowment for the Arts, 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.