Webster Samuel Lewis (September 1, 1943 – November 20, 2002) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

and disco composer, arranger and keyboardist.

Career

Lewis was born in 1943 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

. At a young age, his family encouraged him to take up music. Later, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known ...

and then completed a master's degree at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on ...

with

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

as his mentor. He started out in

working with drummer Tony Williams, George Russell,

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Stanton Davis Stanton Davis, Jr. (born November 10, 1945, New Orleans) is an American jazz trumpeter and educator. Davis studied at the Berklee College of Music (1967–69) and the New England Conservatory (1969–73), and served as program director for MIT' ...

, and the

Piano Choir The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. His first release was ''Live at Club 7'', issued in 1972. He signed with Epic Records in 1976 and began releasing disco music, where he found commercial success. He had several charting singles including 1977's "On the Town/Saturday Night Steppin' Out/Do It with Style" (U.S. Club Play #36) and 1980's "

Give Me Some Emotion "Give Me Some Emotion" is a song written and originally recorded by Webster Lewis in 1979. It is a track from his ''Eight for the Eighties'' LP, and was released as a single in early 1980. His version reached #107 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' pop c ...

" (U.S. #107, R&B Singles #41). Lewis worked extensively as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

and studio arranger, for

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

(he also toured with both of them), and others. He also produced for such artists as Gwen McCrae and

Michael Wycoff Michael Wycoff (January 1, 1956 – March 13, 2019) was an American R&B singer. He scored several hits on the US R&B chart during the 1980s. Biography Wycoff attended Wilmington Junior High School and Phineas Banning High School in Wilmingt ...

. He later branched into soundtrack work for film and television, including for the films '' The Hearse'' (1980), '' Body and Soul'' (1981) and '' My Tutor'' (1983). He also taught jazz voice and arrangement classes at Howard University in Washington as a visiting professor from 1995 to 1999. Lewis died at his home in Barryville, New York, on November 20, 2002, as a result of pneumonia and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

Discography

Albums

With The Piano Choir * '' Handscapes'' (Strata-East, 1973) * ''

Handscapes 2 ''Handscapes 2'' is an album by The Piano Choir featuring Ron Burton, Stanley Cowell, Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, Webster Lewis, Harold Mabern, and Sonelius Smith recorded in 1974 and first released on the Strata-East label.1943 births 2002 deaths American jazz organists American male organists American disco musicians 20th-century American musicians The Tony Williams Lifetime members 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Morgan State University alumni New England Conservatory alumni