Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1935. His family moved to the Cabrini-Green housing project during his childhood. His father Ramsey Sr. worked as a laborer and served as choir director at Zion Hill Baptist Church. His mother Pauline was a housewife. They exposed him to gospel music through the church choir and to jazz through Duke Ellington and Art Tatum records at home and live concerts. Lewis began piano lessons at age four, concentrating on classical repertoire at Chicago Musical College Preparatory School. He aspired to become a concert pianist. At age six he demonstrated child prodigy abilities. Lewis studied classical music at Chicago College of Music and DePaul University through his teenage years.

In his freshman year at Wells High School, saxophonist-pianist Wallace Burton invited Lewis to join The Clefs, a seven-piece college jazz band blending jazz and R&B. Lewis graduated from high school in 1954 and enrolled at Chicago Musical College that fall. He married Geraldine Taylor at age eighteen while still a student. Lewis dropped out to work at a record store and played piano and organ at Zion Hill Baptist Church. The Clefs evolved into the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956 with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Isaac “Red” Holt. They released their debut album “Ramsey Lewis and His Gentlemen of Jazz” on Chess Records. A three-week engagement at Birdland in New York in 1959 led to performances at Newport Jazz Festival and Village Vanguard. The trio also recorded with Max Roach, Clark Terry, and Sonny Stitt.

The breakthrough came in May 1965 during a performance at Bohemian Caverns in Washington D.C. Lewis heard Dobie Gray’s “The In Crowd” at breakfast that morning. The trio made a spontaneous choice to play their arrangement from the jukebox hit. The crowd response led to commercial airplay and massive single success. “The In Crowd” reached No. 5 on Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy Award. Two more million-selling gold singles followed: “Hang on Sloopy” (No. 11) and “Wade in the Water.” The original trio disbanded in 1966 when Young and Holt formed Young-Holt Unlimited. Lewis formed a new trio with Cleveland Eaton on bass and Maurice White on drums. White departed in 1970 to form Earth, Wind & Fire. Morris Jennings replaced him. Later members included Frankie Donaldson, Bill Dickens, and Felton Crews.

Lewis’s “Sun Goddess” album (1974) produced by Maurice White featured Earth, Wind & Fire members including Philip Bailey. Electric piano dominated his 1970s work before he returned to acoustic piano with an additional keyboardist by decade’s end. His radio career included hosting the weekly syndicated program “Legends of Jazz” created in 1990 through United Stations Radio Networks. He also hosted “Ramsey Lewis Morning Show” on Chicago smooth jazz station WNUA 95.5 FM. Lewis composed “Concerto for Jazz Trio and Orchestra” for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which premiered in 2015. His first marriage to Geraldine Taylor (1954-1988) produced seven children. His second marriage to Jan Tamillow in 1990 lasted until his death.

The National Endowment for the Arts named Lewis a Jazz Master in 2007, placing him alongside Ahmad Jamal, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, and Cecil Taylor. Additional honors included five honorary doctorate degrees, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist, and Grammy Hall of Fame induction for “The In Crowd.” The Smithsonian Institution houses his personal memorabilia. During the pandemic, Lewis and his wife Jan produced a monthly Saturday Salon livestream series that received critical acclaim. His final album “The Beatles Songbook: The Saturday Salon Series, Volume One” from the livestream performances was released posthumously in November 2022. Lewis died peacefully in his sleep at his Chicago home on September 12, 2022 at age 87. He was survived by his wife Janet, five children, multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and predeceased by sons Ramsey Lewis III and Kevyn Lewis.