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Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | |
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  Jimmy Jam (left) and Terry Lewis in January 2012 | |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
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James Samuel "Jimmy Jam"Harris III (born June 6, 1959)[2] andTerry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956)[3] are an AmericanR&B/pop songwriting and record production team.[4] Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensivelyJanet Jackson.[5] They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US.[6] In 2022, the duo were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.[7][8]
Jimmy Jam is the son ofCornbread Harris, a Minneapolis blues and jazz musician. Jimmy Jam met Lewis while attending anUpward Bound program on the University of Minnesota campus.[5][9]
In the mid-1970s, Harris formed or joined Mind & Matter, an 11 piece band.[10]
Lewis had been in the bandFlyte Tyme, which Harris joined late in its history and whichPrince restructured asthe Time in 1981.[9] As members of the Time, they played instruments on all but one of the group's five albums (Ice Cream Castle[11]), includingCondensate which the group recorded asthe Original 7ven.[12][13][14][15]
In 1982, Jam and Lewis were introduced to music executiveDina R. Andrews, who was then an employee ofDick Griffey'sSOLAR Records, where they would be mentored by record producerLeon Sylvers III.[9] The pair asked Andrews to manage them, and through her relationships, Andrews first introduced the duo toClarence Avant.[9] They produced their first work for Avant forthe S.O.S. Band.[9] Andrews set up Jam and Lewis's company Flyte Tyme Productions and shopped them to her music industry colleagues. Jam and Lewis went on to produce several other acts for Avant under Dina Andrews Management for the S.O.S. Band,Cherrelle,Alexander O'Neal andChange.[9] Additionally, Andrews shopped the duo to many of the executives and artists who used her services, such as Klymaxx,Cheryl Lynn ("Encore"), and executives such as A&M's John McClain (Janet Jackson).[16]
The pair were fired by Prince after a freak Atlanta blizzard left them unable to make a tour date during which they were, unbeknown to Prince, producing music forthe S.O.S. Band.[16][17] However, one of the Atlanta tracks, "Just Be Good to Me", became a hit and established the duo's reputation.[17] Jam and Lewis would rejoin the Time for two albums: 1990'sPandemonium and the 2011 albumCondensate when the band went bythe Original 7ven.
The duo was noted for early use of theRoland TR-808drum machine, which was used in most of its productions. After working with other artists such as Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and produced her breakthrough albumControl in 1986,[5][17] for which the duo won a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989'sRhythm Nation 1814, proved even more successful as the album became one of the top-selling albums in history with fourBillboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits. Their collaboration continued and remained highly successful, especially on theBillboard 200 No.1 albumsjanet.,The Velvet Rope,All for You andUnbreakable.
In 1991, they founded a record label,Perspective Records,[16][18] anA&M Records distributed label that has since been closed and then reactivated. Later that year, their newly minted label experienced success with the Minneapolis-based gospel/R&B groupSounds of Blackness. Their debut single, "Optimistic", served as a groundbreaking anthem stressing positivity and encouragement. The song served as a summer and fall anthem and began propelling Jam and Lewis' label. Other successes followed with Sounds of Blackness as well as releases from labelmatesMint Condition,Lo-Key? andSolo. In 1992, Perspective released thesoundtrack for the filmMo' Money, which starredDamon Wayans,Stacey Dash andMarlon Wayans. Executive produced by Jam and Lewis, the soundtrack featured songs by Mint Condition,Ralph Tresvant andCaron Wheeler, as well as a duet byJanet Jackson andLuther Vandross.
In 2003, Jam and Lewis moved their recording operations toSanta Monica, California naming it Flyte Tyme West, due to more opportunities for work and collaboration.[19] In 2006, they won a Grammy for Yolanda Adams' song "Be Blessed", from her 2005 albumDay By Day. In 2007, Jam and Lewis produced the two-time Grammy Award-winning CDFunk This forChaka Khan, which included the Award-winning R&B duet "Disrespectful", withMary J. Blige.
The production duo reunited with the Time at the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008, in a medley that included the artistRihanna, and featuring "Jungle Love". In June and July 2008, all of the original members of the Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis,Jesse Johnson,Jerome Benton,Jellybean Johnson, andMonte Moir) reunited once again for a series of shows at theFlamingo Hotel and Casino inLas Vegas.
In a career that has spanned more than four decades, Jam and Lewis have worked with a multitude of artists, includingLionel Richie,Herb Alpert,TLC,Sounds of Blackness,Yolanda Adams,Jordan Knight,Michael Jackson,Aretha Franklin,Boyz II Men,Usher,Johnny Gill,Patti LaBelle,Mary J. Blige,Chaka Khan,Mariah Carey,Prince,Mýa,Bryan Adams,Snoop Dogg,Spice Girls,Vanessa Williams,George Michael,Melanie B,Rod Stewart,Kelly Price,Gwen Stefani,New Edition,Eric Benet,Pia Zadora,SOLO, andthe Human League.[5]
Terry Lewis has two children from previous relationships; son Trey and daughter, Chloe. Lewis was married to R&B singerKaryn White; the couple had two children: son Brandon and daughter Ashley. He later married Indira Singh and had two children with her.
Jimmy Jam is married to Mexican-US businesswoman Lisa Padilla Harris; they have three children: Tyler, Max, and Bella. Jimmy served as chairman of the board of theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is currently listed as chairman emeritus.
| Title | Studio album details | Peak chart positions | |
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| US Sales [20] | UK Dig. [21] | ||
| Jam & Lewis: Volume One[22] |
| 17 | 17 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [23] | US Adult R&B [24] | US Gospel Airplay [25] | |||
| "Til I Found You" (featuringSounds of Blackness)[26] | 2019 | — | 22 | 21 | Jam & Lewis: Volume One |
| "He Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout It" (featuringBabyface)[27] | 2020 | 16 | 4 | — | |
| "Somewhat Loved" (featuringMariah Carey)[28] | 2021 | — | 12 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
They have produced 16Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, and 26Billboard R&B No. 1 hits.[5]
They are among a handful of producers to have No. 1 records in three consecutive decades, with number ones in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.[29][30]
They have had 41 songs reach the Top 10 of theBillboard Hot 100,[31] and 31 in the top 10 in the UK.[6]
Since forming their music company Flyte Tyme in 1982, Jam & Lewis have earned more than 100 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond albums for their work with such artists as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, New Edition, Human League, George Michael, Earth, Wind and Fire, TLC, Robert Palmer, Gwen Stefani and Kanye West.[5] They have more than 100ASCAP songwriting and publishing awards,[5] including several Songwriter of the Year awards.[32]
In1993, Jam & Lewis were nominated with Janet Jackson for anAcademy Award for Best Original Song for "Again", from the moviePoetic Justice.
In2020 Jam & Lewis were nominated withSheila E. for anPrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Music Direction for the TV specialLet's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince.
Jam & Lewis have won fiveGrammy Awards. They have received more nominations forProducer of the Year, Non-Classical than any other producer, with 11 nominations.[33] They won the award in 1987 at the29th Grammy Awards, in the first year they were nominated.
...at least two pioneers of the Minneapolis Sound also have ties to Fergus Falls — notably, music luminaries Jimmy Jam Harris (whose father is Cornbread Harris and mother is Bertha Tate Webster Harris) and André Cymone.
