Ramsey Lewis is a famous jazz pianist who was one of the most prominent jazz artists in the United States has passed away. Lewis’s career spanned more than 60 years, beginning with the formation of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. He was 87 at the time of his death.
Lewis is highly regarded in the jazz community for his hits in the ’60s. “The ‘In’ Crowd,” “Hang on Sloopy” and “Wade in the Water.” He has seven gold records and three Grammys. Released in 1956, the trio’s debut album was “Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing.”
Lewis died Monday in his sleep at his Chicago home, according to his son, Bobby Lewis.
“He was just at peace,” Bobby Lewis said to the AP late Monday. “Most people say when they met dad that he was a class act. He was that way even through his last breath.”
In an AP interview from 2011, Ramsey Lewis discussed his process for composing and performing. “Life is a solo, and it continues,” Lewis said, sitting at the dining room table in his downtown Chicago home. “I just know that when I put my hands on the piano it’s going to flow.”
As early as age 4, Lewis began studying the piano. He spent his formative years in Chicago playing in local bars that featured up-and-coming jazz bands, drawing inspiration from his classical training as well as his gospel upbringing. “It gave us a lot of opportunities to try our ideas and learn what it means to perform in front of an audience,” Lewis made the announcement in 2007 when he was recognised as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. His mentor and fellow Jazz Master, pianist Billy Taylor, presented him with the honour.
“I believe that my father — his love for the piano and his passion for the piano and how he coveted this love and how he protected it — gave him longevity,” Bobby Lewis added. “He recognized the gift God had given him.”
Lewis collaborated with such music legends as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau, and Pat Metheney during his career. More than 80 albums were released under Lewis’ name, and of those, 30 were released by the Chicago label Chess Records. He went on a world tour and even sang at Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham’s state banquet for Brazil’s president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, back in 1995.
“Proclamation of Hope: A Symphonic Poem by Ramsey Lewis.”
As a radio host in the 1990s and 2000s, Lewis was responsible for a number of shows, including “The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show,” on WNUA-FM and the syndicated “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis.”
In 2007, he hosted the public television series “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis,” which aired weekly. The show’s creators said it was the first time jazz was featured on a weekly basis on network television in 40 years. It featured jazz greats and up-and-comers.
Lewis also volunteered for organisations that used music to inspire and empower young people. “Ramsey’s passion for music was truly fueled by the love and dedication of his fans across the globe,” his wife, Janet Lewis, said in a Facebook post. “He loved touring and meeting music lovers from so many cultures and walks of life. It was our family’s great pleasure to share Ramsey in this special way with all those who admired his God-given talents.”
Twitter Is Flooded With Ramsey Lewis’s Death!
Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis has died in his native Chicago at age 87. Lewis, known for such 1960s hits as “The In Crowd” and “Wade in the Water,” earned three Grammys in a career that spanned more than 50 years. https://t.co/9itp3fh15m
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 13, 2022
We are sad to report that Chicago jazz icon Ramsey Lewis has died at the age of 87.
He passed away this morning at his home in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/5tXkUhp2jB— WDCB Public Radio (@WDCBPublicRadio) September 12, 2022
Ramsey Lewis, the iconic jazz pianist, has died https://t.co/fRgY3f4yF1
— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) September 13, 2022
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis has died, age 87 https://t.co/fR8X5efT84
— Globe NewsWire (@globnewswire) September 13, 2022
♪♫ R.I.P. #Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis has died at age 87. pic.twitter.com/gIY2inF9kS
— A Passion for Jazz!® (@APassion4Jazz) September 13, 2022
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, whose music entertained fans over a more than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country’s most successful jazz musicians, has died https://t.co/IEz53LEOyh
— Bloomberg (@business) September 13, 2022
The loss of a loved one is devastating, and we can do nothing about this rather than accept the fact and move on… After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Ramsey’s news is quite shocking for all of us… What are your views on this, comment down in the section that we have provided below.
