R&B Bridgez: A Music Story entitled ‘Jam And Lewis’

Super Producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are set to receive The Legends Award, at this Sundays Soul Train Awards. In preparation, we at UB wanted to honor our absolute favorite songwriters/producers.

Being based in Minneapolis, they’ve been a huge inspiration to us. UB‘s founder has seen them celebrated at the Minneapolis Black Music Expo to having the honor of spending the day at Flyte Tyme in the late 90s, due to Minneapolis industry veteran Craig Rice and Flyte Tyme‘s Susan Owens. We’ve followed them every step of the way and are extremely proud, they’re getting honored at this years LIVE Soul Train Awards.

To tell the story of Jam & Lewis, we have to go back to the beginning, of how the super duo came from members of the Minneapolis hit-making band The Time; Into the producers of some of musics greatest songs.

It truly began for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with a snowstorm in Atlanta. As members of the group The Time, and part of Prince‘s creative caravan, the two had flown to Atlanta during a Prince and The Time tour to take advantage of an offer from another band, S.O.S., to write and produce a couple of songs for their album. Through Leon Sylvers III and S.O.L.A.R. executive Dina Andrews, Jam and Lewis were introduced to the music mogul Clarence Avant, who invited the pair to produce some sessions for the S.O.S. Band. The duo appear in the new Netflix Clarence Avant documentary “The Black Godfather.” The snowstorm caused them to miss the Prince concert. Prince was not pleased. And Jam and Lewis found they had a change of situation. No longer were they hired musicians — now they were freelance producer/songwriters.

“People were saying, you guys are artists. Why would you want to be producers? What they didn’t understand is that we always thought producers were artists. They were always stars to us.” -Terry Lewis.

Their production company Flyte Tyme Productions has produced hits from artists of all genres of music, from Pop, Rock, Country and Soul, to Rap, Hip Hop, Gospel and Dance. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have produced 16 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits and 27 Billboard R&B #1 hits. They are among a handful of producers to have #1 records in four consecutive decades and have had 41 songs reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Jimmy & Terry first met in 1972 on the University of Minnesota campus as Junior High School students and became instant musically bonded friends. Founding the local Minneapolis band known as Flytetyme, they were discovered and signed by Prince in 1981 and changed the name to The Time and their careers were under way.

The S.O.S. Band‘s “Just Be Good To Me” became the first official Jam and Lewis hit and the beginning of their unmatched careers. Work with Cheryl Lynn, Klymaxx, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Thelma Houston, Robert Palmer and Cherrelle followed. As artists found that taking a chance on these new producing/songwriting kids on the block paid off…with hits!

It soon became necessary for Jam and Lewis to have their own recording studio. They were working in various locations all over town and needed to consolidate their ever-growing business. In 1984, they had the original Flyte Tyme , not exactly state-of-the-art, but a one room studio that suited their needs.

Rather than move to Los Angeles or NYC the duo set up Flyte Tyme Productions Studios in their hometown of Minneapolis and had the artists come to them. They wrote and produced the Billboard Hot 100 #1 single “Human” in 1985, by The Human League. They would later write a sequel, when the group Boyz II Men released “Human II (Don’t Turn Your Back on Me).” From their 2002 double platinum album “Evolution.”

Another classic release in the beginning was from former Time member, Alexander O’Neal. Jam & Lewis produced his debut album and went on to produce the classic follow-up R&B album “Hearsay.”

Jam and Lewis became busy producers, suitcases always packed, studios always booked, racking up much frequent flier mileage. Cherrelle played an important part in changing this peripatetic existence. Feeling she would be unnerved by the major Los Angeles recording studios, Jam and Lewis phoned home and brought the singer with them to record in Minneapolis. One of the many hits created with Cherrelle include the R&B Top 10 hit “Saturday Love” a duet with Alexander O’Neal, which is still considered a R&B classic.

More artists hooked up with Jam & Lewis in Minneapolis including Herb Alpert, Nona Hendryx, Patti Austin, Robert Palmer, George Michael and Force M.D.’s to name a few. The duo wrote and produced their classic “Tender Love” from the 1985 film Krush Groove.

They found the recording climate to their advantage, and to the advantage of their client artists, particularly Janet Jackson, whose career was transformed and enhanced by their work in Minneapolis. Janet‘s 1986 breakthrough album, “Control” which earned Jam & Lewis the Producer of the Year GRAMMY, Jimmy & Terry had become the most sought-after collaborators in the music world and Minneapolis the destination. Janet’s “Rhythm Nation” as well as her next 4 chart topping albums were all recorded at Flyte Tyme. Jam & Lewis have been responsible for creating groundbreaking work with one of the world’s all-time best-selling female artists.

In 1988 Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis gave legendary group New Edition their first Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 with “If It Isn’t Love.” From the double platinum album “NE Heartbreak.” The groups coming of age album. Jam and Lewis have contributed to both NE releases since, “Home Again” and One Love.” They have also went on to write and produce songs for Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill, including on his current album release “Game Changer II.”

In 1991 the guys formed Perspective Records in Los Angeles but again turned the spotlight to deserving Minnesota artists with their first two signings, local gospel choir Sounds of Blackness who won a GRAMMY and scored a #1 with “Optimistic” and St Paul’s own Mint Condition, who’s debut album contained the #1 single “Breakin My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)”.

In August of that same year Karyn White hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis song “Romantic.”

As for other artists signed to Perspective; Lo-Key? scored a #1 hit with “I Got A Thang 4 Ya” and Solo who scored a gold album with their debut set. The platinum soundtrack to the film Mo’ Money starring Damon Wayans was released via Perspective with all of the songs being written & produced in-house. That featured the hot single “The Best Things in Life Are Free.” The late great Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson with special guests Bell Biv DeVoe & Ralph Tresvant. The label also saw releases from Ann Nesby, Smooth and singer/songwriters Bobby Ross Avila and Lisa Keith.

“When we started, I think the only recognizable producer to most people was Quincy Jones. Not that there weren’t great producers, but the public didn’t know them. But even when we were kids, we’d listen to a record and want to know who the producer was.” – Jimmy Jam.

With the release of “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I” The super-producers got the chance to produced a hit single for the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. A duet with sister Janet entitled “Scream.” The song and video were the most talked about things in pop-culture, the summer of 1995.

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were honored in June of 1996 by the T.J. Martell Foundation at its 21st annual Humanitarian Awards Gala. Hosted by Janet Jackson and featured Boyz II Men, Solo, Sounds Of Blackness and Ann Nesby. Attendees were treated to a reunion of Jam and Lewis with The Time and a duet by Robert Palmer and Cherelle on “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On.” The event raised $4.8 million for the T.J. Martell Foundation, the music industry- supported organization that funds leukemia, cancer and AIDS research.

Even as they work hard to develop Perspective, Jimmy & Terry kept providing a vast array of artists with the kind of production that creates hit records. The list continued to grow of those who benefited from their golden touch; Elton John, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams, Wyclef, The Isley Bros, Barry White, Christina Aguilera, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross and Jon Secada. Their touch has yet to fade. In 1997, the Jam & Lewis produced “4 Seasons Of Loneliness,” a #1 Pop hit by Boyz II Men which also achieved platinum status.

Pointing up to their diversity, Janet, Jimmy and Terry received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for the song “Again,” from the John Singleton movie, “Poetic Justice,” which starred Janet. Jam and Lewis had already experienced an earlier adventure in the Hollywood when, flanked by pals from Minneapolis and Southern California, they were honored with a star along the legendary Hollywood Walk Of Fame, on the boulevard of dreams close to notables the twin city guys had enjoyed on the screen as youngsters. The installation ceremony was quite memorable since, in addition to city officials, friends Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones and Magic Johnson were among those who attended.

The duo won many awards Including ASCAP’s Writers of the Year, the GRAMMY‘s Producers of the Year. The NAACP Image Award, Billboard Awards for Flyte Tyme Publishing and ASCAP Publisher of the Year Awards.

In 1998, Janet Jackson‘s “Together Again” and “I Get Lonely” both #1 singles were also certified as gold singles.

That same year they did more work on the silver screen, the pair was responsible for Flyte Tyme Records million-selling soundtrack for the hit movie, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” They also contributed “I Will Get There” by Boyz II Men to the 1998 platinum-selling soundtrack of The Prince Of Egypt. Over the years, Jam & Lewis‘s music has been heard on numerous soundtracks, including the 1999 box office smash The Best Man, for which they produced the title track, featuring Ginuwine, Tyrese, Case, and R.L. (of Next).

Jimmy & Terry ended a solid decade of hits in 1999 with TLC‘s sassy “I’m Good At Being Bad” to the gold single “I Will Get There” by Boyz II Men, a Top 5 platinum single. “Give It To You” by Jordan Knight, and a breakthrough Pop and R&B smash with Chanté Moore‘s “Chanté’s Got A Man.” The team also contributed to the 1999 platinum and multi-platinum GRAMMY-winning albums by Mary J. Blige and Yolanda Adams. The groundbreaking single of her career, “Open My Heart.”

Mariah Carey‘s multi-platinum “Rainbow” included “Thank God I Found You,” which was Jam and Lewis’s first #1 Pop and R&B hit of the new millennium.

The team’s ongoing commitment to expanding their musical horizons continued in 2000 with eight new, original songs for the soundtrack of “Glitter,” Mariah Carey‘s movie debut. that included Mariah doing a cover of Cherrelle‘s Jam & Lewis hit single “Didn’t Mean to Turn You On.” Jimmy & Terry then scored a major hit with “Doesn’t Really Matter” from the film “The Nutty Professor II” starring Janet Jackson. The single was Jam & Lewis‘ 38th Top 10 Pop hit.

The duo, along with Run DMC, produced a remake of Stevie Wonder‘s “Higher Ground” for the TBS network’s basketball broadcasts. And Jimmy & Terry composed and produced “Welcome To The World,” the theme of the opening ceremonies of the 1996 summer Olympic Games.

As a testament to the timeless quality of Jimmy & Terry‘s work, several major rap and hip hop artists continue to sample from the Flyte Tyme catalog—among them, LL Cool J, Jay Z, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Jermaine Dupri, Silkk The Shocker, The Lox, Foxy Brown and popular British producer/artist Fatboy Slim. “In the wake of an era of new producers, it’s particularly gratifying for us that our music is being used so much either in samples or remakes,” Jimmy stated.

Although neither Jimmy nor Terry could pinpoint one reason for their overwhelming success, Terry once stated a strong knowledge of most genres of music has helped.

“When we first started out, we had to play everything just to get work. To market yourself as a musician and get paid, you had to have flexibility. You can’t do the same thing with everyone. I think, if anything, that has been the mainstay of our longevity, the fact we can adjust as music has evolved and changed.”

In 2003, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis relocated Flyte Tyme Productions to Los Angeles. As they expanded their creative reach into films, television and new marketing. “The Fighting Temptations”, “Radio”, “Shark Tale”, “Robots”, “Happy Feet Two”, “Straight Outta Compton”, “Girls Trip, “American Idol”, “Dancing With the Stars”, “Glee”, “Empire”, “American Dad”, “Atlanta”, “Fresh Off The Boat” the NBA, TNT, TBS, NBC, Liberty Mutual, The GAP all have benefited from an encyclopedic array of music contributed by the duo.

In 2015 the duo scored another Billboard #1 with the release of Janet Jackson’s “Unbreakable” album, making her the youngest artist to have #1 albums in four consecutive decades. In 2017 Jimmy & Terry music produced the critically acclaimed “The New Edition Story” miniseries for BET which drew over 29 million viewers.

They were invited to speak at the United Nations about using music to promote unity, and recently traveled to the DMZ where they were commissioned by the Global Peace Foundation to write and produce “Korean Dream” as a “soundtrack for peace” to help reunify North & South Korea in light of the escalating conflict in the Korean peninsula.

Jimmy and Terry arranged the 10-day Super Bowl Live music festival in their hometown of Minneapolis. Highlighting a different genre each night, the 2018 festival featured Rae Sremmurd, The Jets, KING and Idina Menzel, among others.

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are currently gearing up for their first compilation album release next year, entitled “Jam & Lewis: Volume One.”

The lead single is by Minneapolis own, Sounds of Blackness and features vocals from former members Ann Nesby and the late James “Big Jim” Wright, who passed away last year. Lauren Evans is also featured on the mid-tempo “Til I Found You.”

Comprised of all new music from superstar acts, including Janet Jackson and Johnny Gill, the album will be released via Jam & Lewis recently relaunched label Perspective Records.

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis relaunched the label last summer with the release of Peabo Bryson’s “Stand for Love.” Stokley from Mint Condition is the next artist to release a project from the label, as his current single “She” is currently climbing the charts. The single was the #1 most added song to Adult Contemporary R&B radio in October.

Jam & Lewis support many charitable endeavors including the United Negro College Fund, The Hollyrod Foundation, JDRF, City of Hope, TJ Martell Foundation, Starkey Hearing Foundation, ASCAP Foundation, MusiCares and the GRAMMY Museum Foundation. Jam is also observed as the Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The GRAMMYS), the first and only African American in history to be elected to that position.

With more credited Billboard #1 hits than any other songwriting and production team in history, the Five-time GRAMMY winning duo have been creating and crafting distinctive, memorable and instantly engaging songs for four decades.

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BET Presents: Soul Train Awards, Airing LIVE at 8PM EST. Performers included in the tribute; Boyz II Men, Stokely, Ann Nesby, Morris Day and Jerome Benton, Carrie Harrington & Jamecia Bennett of Sounds of Blackness, Mary Davis and Abdul Ra’oof of The SOS Band, Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle. Plus Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold, who will be doing a Janet Jackson medley.
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