Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

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Jimmy Jam (2012)
Terry Lewis (2012)

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III. (* 6 June 1959 in Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA ) and Terry Steven Lewis (* 24. November 1956 in Omaha , Nebraska , USA) is an American producer - and Songwriterduo which mainly through collaborations with Janet Jackson could gain greater awareness . Much of the aesthetic reorientation of R&B towards contemporary R&B is ascribed to them.

Career

The Time (1980-1982)

Harris and Lewis formed their first band, Flyte Tyme, in high school with Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir . The name Flyte Tyme was a phonetic modification of the song Flight Time by Donald Byrd and is to be understood as a reference of the musicians to the musical socialization through jazz , although Flyte Tyme saw itself as a funk band. This formation became known to a wider audience as The Time , with a different cast and with the participation of Prince .

Harris and Lewis had with The Time on the albums The Time and What Time Is It? helped as they increasingly began to shift their priorities to music production. While touring with Prince and The Revolution , The Time played as the opening act for Prince and later as a support for Vanity 6 . Lewis and Harris use the so-called off-days during this time to advertise their artistic ambitions. In 1982 a production with the SOS Band was started , which brought the duo their first commercial successes. As part of The Time, the two Afro-Americans are on What Time Is It? to listen.

Exclusion from The Time (1982)

During the production of the SOS Band's album On the Rise, Jam and Lewis commuted between concerts with Prince and The Time and the recording studio. It is said that due to severe traffic conditions, Jam and Lewis were unable to attend a concert of their own band in San Antonio due to a snow storm. As a result of this fact it is attributed that Prince threw the band members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from the group. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Prince denied this allegation and attributed this decision to the band leader Morris Day .

Producer career (1984-2007)

Under the name Flyte Time Productions , the duo has been producing for various musicians such as Gladys Knight , Patti Austin and Thelma Houston since the 1980s . The meeting with Janet Jackson in 1985 can be interpreted as a decisive turning point in her career. At that time, the aspiring artist was trying to build a career apart from her famous siblings, who were already international superstars under the name The Jacksons and her workhorse Michael Jackson . Jackson's third album Control , which was released the following year and recorded within six weeks, was created under the musical patronage of Jimmy Jams and Terry Lewis'. For both the duo and Janet, this album is generally regarded as the last step in emancipation in the music industry. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced six other albums with Jackson.

With Perspective Records , Harris and Lewis founded their own record label in the early 1990s . This resulted in artists like Bobby Ross Avila, Smooth, Mint Condition , Lo-Key, Solo, Sounds of Blackness and Ann Nesby. They also produced for Boyz II Men , Usher , Mary J. Blige , Mariah Carey , Gwen Stefani and Michael Jackson ( Scream ).

Reunion with The Time (2008)

On February 10, 2008, The Time played for the first time since Lewis and Harris were kicked out again on the same stage. The original cast accompanied the performance of artist Rihanna on the occasion of the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony . In June and July 2008 the band played a series of concerts in Las Vegas .

Discography

As members of The Time :

  • The Time (1981)
  • What time is it? (1982)
  • Pandemonium (1990)

As producers (selection):

  • Klymaxx - Girls Will Be Girls (1982)
  • SOS Band - On the Rise (1983)
  • Alexander O'Neal - Alexander O'Neal (1985)
  • Janet Jackson - Control (1986)
  • Alexander O'Neal - Hearsay (1987)
  • New Edition - Heart Break (1988)
  • Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
  • Karyn White - Ritual of Love (1991)
  • Janet Jackson - Janet. (1993)
  • Color Me Badd - Time and Chance (1993)
  • Boyz II Men - II (1994)
  • Karyn White - Make Him Do Right (1994)
  • Michael Jackson - HIStory Continues, Past, Present and Future ~ Book 1 (1995)
  • Lionel Richie - Louder than Words (1995)
  • Mary J. Blige - Love Is All We Need (1997)
  • 4.0 - Have a Little Mercy (1997)
  • TLC - FanMail (1999)
  • Yolanda Adams - Mountain High ... Valley Low (1999)
  • Janet Jackson - Doesn't Really Matter (2000)
  • Usher - U Remind Me (2001)
  • Gwen Stefani - Love. Fishing rod. Music. Infant. (2004)
  • Chaka Khan - Funk This (2007)
  • Crystal Kay - Color Change! (2008)

Awards

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have received many awards for their work.

Amongst other things:

  • 1986: American Music Award in the Best R&B single category (For Nasty by Janet Jackson)
  • 1987: Grammy Award in the category Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)
  • 1996: NAACP Heritage Award in the Lifetime Achievement category
  • 1987–1993: ASCAP in the categories Songwriters of the Year and R&B Writers of the Year

Trivia

  • Terry Lewis was married to the American singer Karyn White . The couple, now divorced, have a daughter.
  • Jimmy Jam was Chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences until mid-2009 .
  • A recurring element in the productions of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis has been the use of analog synthesizers and drum machines such as the Roland TR-808 or Oberheim synthesizers since the early 1980s .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Donald Bird's discography
  2. ↑ Portrait of the artist duo
  3. ↑ Interview with Prince in Rolling Stone No. 598, October 1990
  4. ↑ Article about Janet Jackson in Billboard Magazine, December 1999 ( Memento of May 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Artistpage on answers.com
  6. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ Paragraph "Awards"
  8. ↑ List of the NARAS Administrative Committee ( Memento of June 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

Web links