However, with no story and unclear relationships between the characters, the show closed quickly, with Welles losing his savings, and the investors losing "large sums". Playwright John van Druten described the musical as "enormous fun" and Joshua Logan said it was "fresh, witty, magical, exciting". The result was the 1947 film The Lady from Shanghai. He also borrowed from Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn, on a promise to write, produce, direct and star in a film for Cohn for no fee. When Mike Todd pulled out, Welles put up his own money. The show had a cast of 70 and included four mechanical elephants and 54 stage hands. Also, according to critical Welles biographer Charles Higham, "Porter wrote the songs far too quickly and badly". However, he had no money left for a star cast and used performers who were not well known. He raised money from Mike Todd, producer William Goetz, and Alexander Korda, who held the title's European rights. He visualized an entire circus on stage, a train running through the West, and other extravagant production ideas. In addition to his wife and son, Lewis also is survived by daughters Denise Jeffries and Dawn Allain two other sons Kendall Kelly Lewis and Frayne Lewis and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.After he finished shooting his 1946 film The Stranger, Welles decided to make a musical out of one of his favorite childhood books, Around the World in Eighty Days. It was our family's great pleasure to share Ramsey in this special way with all those who admired his God-given talents."īrett Steele, whose Tampa, Florida-based Steele Management represented Lewis since 2011, said Lewis spent the last year of his life working on his memoirs which are completed and scheduled to be published next year. "He loved touring and meeting music lovers from so many cultures and walks of life. "Ramsey's passion for music was truly fueled by the love and dedication of his fans across the globe," his wife, Janet Lewis, said in a Facebook post. Lewis also spent time working on behalf of charities that brought music to young people. It featured jazz greats and up-and-comers. The show's creators said it was the first time jazz was featured on a weekly basis on network television in 40 years. Lewis also hosted radio shows in the 1990s and 2000, including "The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show," on WNUA-FM and the syndicated "Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis." In 2007, he hosted "Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis," a weekly program that aired on public television stations nationwide. He also completed a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln - "Proclamation of Hope: A Symphonic Poem by Ramsey Lewis." His first was an eight-movement piece for Chicago's Joffrey Ballet. The Chicago native began composing large-scale musical works later in his career. "He recognized the gift God had given him." "I believe that my father - his love for the piano and his passion for the piano and how he coveted this love and how he protected it - that gave him longevity," Bobby Lewis said. He toured around the world and performed at the 1995 state dinner that then-President Bill Clinton hosted for President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil. Lewis had more than 80 albums to his credit - three dozen of them with Chicago-based Chess Records. He accepted the award from his mentor and fellow Jazz Master, pianist Billy Taylor.ĭuring his career, Lewis performed with musical stars such as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau and Pat Metheney. "It gave us a lot of opportunity to try our ideas and learn what it means to perform in front of an audience," Lewis said as he was named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2007. He spent his early days in Chicago using his gospel and classical roots to create his own jazz style in the many neighborhood venues that hired young jazz musicians. "I just know that when I put my hands on the piano it's going to flow." "Life is a solo, and it continues," Lewis said, sitting at the dining room table in his downtown Chicago home. Ramsey Lewis described his approach to composing and performing in a 2011 interview with the AP. He was that way even through his last breath." "Most people say when they met dad that he was a class act. "He was just at peace," Bobby Lewis told The Associated Press on Monday night.
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