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Ramsey Lewis
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Ramsey Lewis was born in 1935 in Chicago and grew up in the Cabrini-Green Homes, in a family with roots in the Deep South. His father was a church choirmaster and sent him to piano lessons when he was four. Later he studied classical music at the Chicago Musical College. That rigorous technique remained audible throughout his career, even when he had long been playing jazz.
Music and breakthrough
In the 1950s he formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with bass player Eldee Young and drummer Isaac Redd Holt. They signed with Chess Records and released their debut album in 1956. The big breakthrough came in 1965 with The 'In' Crowd, a live-recorded version of a soul hit by Dobie Gray, recorded in a nightclub in Washington. The album reached number two in the pop chart and won a Grammy. Hang On Sloopy and Wade in the Water followed, each certified as a gold single. Young and Holt left in 1966, after which Maurice White, among others, took over on bass. White later founded Earth, Wind & Fire.
Influence
Lewis made over eighty albums, from Another Voyage to Sun Goddess. His style lies between jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues and pop: short, rhythmic phrases, a bluesy touch and plenty of room for the groove. In the 1970s he often played electric piano. He also presented on radio and television and campaigned for music education in Chicago. His work showed that a jazz trio could reach the charts without letting go of its swing.
Listening
The In Crowd · Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1965
Wade in the Water · Ramsey Lewis, 1966
Sun Goddess · Ramsey Lewis & Earth, Wind & Fire, 1974
The 'In' Crowd · Ramsey Lewis, 1965
Discography
Studio albums
- 1962Country Meets The Blues
- 1966Goin' Latin
- 1966The Movie Album
- 1966Wade in the Water
- 1967Dancing in the Street
- 1967Up Pops
- 1968Maiden Voyage
- 1968Mother Nature's Son
- 1969Another Voyage
- 1970The Piano Player
- 1970Them Changes
- 1971Back to the Roots
- 1972The Groover
- 1973Funky Serenity
- 1974Solar Wind
- 1974Sun Goddess
- 1975Don't It Feel Good
- 1976Salongo
- 1977Love Notes
- 1977Tequila Mockingbird
- 1978Legacy
- 1979Ramsey
- 1980Routes
- 1981Three Piece Suite
- 1982Chance Encounter
- 1983Les Fleurs
- 1984The Two of Us
- 1985Fantasy
- 1987Keys to the City
- 1988Classic Encounter
- 1989Urban Renewal
- 1989We Meet Again
- 1992Ivory Pyramid
- 1993Sky Islands
- 1996Between the Keys
- 1998Dance of the Soul
- 2002Hang On Ramsey / Wade in the Water
- 2002Meant to Be
- 2003Simple Pleasures
- 2005With One Voice
- 2009Songs From the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey
- 2011Taking Another Look
- 2017Wrappin’ It Up
- 2018Heartstrings
- 2018The in Crowd - Remastered
- 2019VII
- 2021Stretching Out
- 2022The Beatles Songbook
Other work
- 1965The In Crowd
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Jazz MapNL Map
Mentioned in other articles
- Soul jazz Genre
The alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley had a success in 1959 with This Here by his pianist Bobby Timmons, and the Ramsey Lewis trio reached the charts in 1965 with The 'In' Crowd.