Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett, and performed at the 1995 state dinner that President Clinton hosted for President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil.
Hard-nosed jazz fans might have shrugged him off as a pop-jazz quisling who spent much of his time on gospel-powered covers and catchy funk anthems.
Yet he gracefully drew on all manner of influences, interweaving jazz, classical and pop with a sureness of touch that defied classification.
Speaking in 2011, Lewis described his approach to composing and performing. “Life is a solo, and it continues,” he said. “I just know that when I put my hands on the piano it’s going to flow. ”Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis was born in Chicago on May 27 1935, the son of Ramsey Lewis Snr, a maintenance man who introduced his son to the music of Duke Ellington and Art Tatum, and his wife Pauline, a cleaner.
Read more on msn.com