Ramsey Lewis Bio

Composer and pianist Ramsey Lewis has been referred to as “the great performer", a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. A native Chicagoan (born May 27, 1935), Mr. Lewis represents the great diversity of music for which Chicago is noted.

Ramsey Lewis first captivated fans with his first album “Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing” by the Ramsey Lewis Trio. 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. He has three Grammy Awards and seven gold records to his credit. Often called legendary, Ramsey concedes “It’s a high honor when someone says so, but I don’t see myself that way. What keeps me enthusiastic and energizes me, is the realization that the more I learn, the more I find there is to know.”

To his credit, he has been honored with three (3) honorary doctorate degrees, the Recording Academy Governor’s Award in 2000 and he was “Person of the Week” on ABC Nightly News in February 1995. Mr. Lewis performed at the White House State dinner President Bill Clinton held for President Fernando Henrique & Mrs. Cardoso of Brazil in April of 1995. He was awarded the prestigious Lincoln Academy of Illinois “Laureate” Award in Springfield, Illinois in April of 1997, and was one of the Olympic Torch runners who carried the Winter 2002 Olympic Torch during its journey to Salt Lake City in January of 2002.

In addition to recording albums and performing live, Mr. Lewis hosts WNUA-FM Chicago’s weekday morning drive-time radio show for which he has been awarded R&R’s 1999 and 2000 Personality of the Year Award. He also hosts the syndicated “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis”, a two-hour radio program which airs in over 65 cities throughout the U.S. Active in community affairs, especially on behalf of youth, he helped organize the Ravinia Festival’s Jazz Mentor Program and also serves as the Artistic Director for that festival’s jazz series. He is constantly his own trio composed of Larry Gray on bass and Leon Joyce on drums. Check the tour page for current dates.

Mr. Lewis has performed concerts and has played many of the jazz festivals and summer venues in the U.S. He has performed with over 25 symphony orchestras in the U.S. and Canada and has performed in concert and at festivals throughout Europe, Japan, Mexico and the Caribbean.

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The Interview
with Ed Gordon

WITH ONE VOICE - 2005
The first season Ramsey performed at Ravinia Festival was 1966. Since then he has performed there numerous times, and in 1992 became the Artistic Director for Jazz. By 1996, it was the right time to include the Sanctuary Choir of James Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, where Ramsey's sister is co-pastor, in the program at Ravinia. At that time, Ramsey mentioned doing a gospel CD that would include the church choir. Ramsey embarked on the project but scheduling conflicts caused it to be postponed. The Sanctuary Choir and the New Vision Choir combined to sing with him once again for his new CD (WITH ONE VOICE) at Ravinia. As the rehearsals progressed, it became clear to Ramsey that this was the perfect time to do a live recording of the with the choir at James Memorial Church on May 31, 2005.

The sanctuary was filled with worshipers. Ramsey mentioned that it was a like a real revival meeting! Because of his sincere and genuine love for music, Ramsey often reaches out to include other vocal or instrumental artists to enhance the program. Three accomplished gospel performers made appearancest at the CD recording session and at the performance during the Ravinia Festival 2005 — Darius Brooks, Donald Lawrence, and Smokie Norful.

This was not Ramsey’s first time performing religious music publicly. His unique style and versatility exemplify a fresh awakening in the sound of gospel music. The excitement generated by Ramsey is stimulating to observe and it is awesome to see his spirit-filled musicianship along with such skillful, discreet showmanship. Read More (PDF)

Narada Discography

Ramsey Lewis Trio