Ramsey Lewis was an American pianist and occasional composer working in the smooth jazz idiom. Lewis recorded over 80 albums, most of them featuring cover songs. He is known for such recordings as “The ‘In’ Crowd” (1965), “Wade in the Water” (1966), “Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)” (1968), “Sun Goddess” (1974) and “Les Fleurs” (1983).
Tag Archives: music
RIP Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022)
Queen Elizabeth II was a British monarch known in pop culture for being the subject of the Sex Pistols song “God Save the Queen” (1977).
RIP Mark Shreeve (1957 – 2022)
Mark Shreeve was a British songwriter best-known for co-writing “Touch Me (I Want Your Body)” (1986) interpreted by Samantha Fox. It was a worldwide hit.
Unrelated, except by title, is Touch Me (All Night Long) (1984), written by Patrick Adams two years earlier, not a worldwide hit.
RIP Helen Grayco (1924 – 2022)
Helen Grayco was an American singer and actress famous for appearances with her husband Spike Jones.
She is known for interpreting “Lilly’s Lament” (1956) and appearing in A Night at the Opera (1935).
RIP Creed Taylor (1929 – 2022)
Creed Taylor was an American record producer and trumpeter known for two things. First, for bringing bossa nova to the United States and secondly, for his work in smooth jazz.
Prompted by Taylor’s death, I’ve been listening to “Bloop Bleep” (1965) by Gary McFarland and, to a lesser extent, to “Nautilus” (1974) by Bob James.
Taylor released Shock Music In Hi-Fi (1958) and Panic – Son Of Shock (1960) as The Creed Taylor Orchestra.
RIP Olivia Newton-John (1948 – 2022)
Olivia Newton-John was a British-Australian singer known for songs such as “Physical”) and films such as Grease.
Then there is her interpretation of “Love Song” (1971), a Lesley Duncan song.
RIP Michael Henderson (1951 – 2022)
Michael Henderson was an American bass guitarist who is known for his work with Miles Davis. As a vocalist he is chiefly remembered for “You Are My Starship” (1976).
RIP Paul Ryder (1964 – 2022)
Paul Ryder was an English bassist known for his work with Happy Mondays who are best-known for “Step On”, a 1990 cover version of “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” (1971).
RIP Bernard Belle (1964 – 2022)
Bernard Belle was an American composer, producer, and musician known for writing and co-writing such songs as “Remember the Time” (1992).
He was, with Teddy Riley, a pioneer of the new jack swing era of music which erupted in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
RIP Patrick Adams (1950 – 2022)
Patrick Adams was an American composer and record producer.
Adams is known for his 1970s and 1980s production, songwriting and engineering work on labels such as Salsoul, Prelude Records and P&P; his associations with recording artists such as Black Ivory, Inner Life, Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway and Leroy Burgess; and studio projects such as Cloud One, The Universal Robot Band, Logg Phreek, and Musique. He owned and operated PAPMUS (Patrick Adams Productions Music) in New York City.
“Love Bug” (1976), “Atmosphere Strut” (1976), “My Baby’s Got E.S.P.” (1976), “Making Love” (1977), “Keep On Jumpin'” (1978), “In the Bush” (1978), “Make It Last Forever” (1978), “Weekend (Tonight Is Party Time)” (1978), “I’m A Big Freak (R•U•1•2)” (1978), “I’m Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)” (1979), “Till You Surrender” (1981) and “Touch Me (All Night Long)” (1984).
Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael wrote and produced at least fifty composition which transcend disco as genre. Adams and Carmichael, and maybe August Darnell too, were in many ways the auteurs of disco, more so than Larry Levan, Walter Gibbons or Tom Moulton, who were primarily involved in post-production. The only one to rival Adams, Carmichael and Darnell was Arthur Russell, but his story is different altogether.
Although well-known for writing and producing his own material, one of his biggest successes was his 1981 reinterpretation of Ashford & Simpson’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1966) as Inner Life, with vocals by Jocelyn Brown and a remix by Larry Levan.
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