Ke Musician, composer and producer Lee Mack Ritenour. Born 11th January in Los Angeles, California, in 1952, he started playing guitar aged eight. Four years later he decided on a career in music. When he was 16 he played on his first recording session which was with the Mamas & the Papas. He developed a love for jazz and was heavily influenced by guitarist Wes Montgomery. At the age of 17 he worked with Lena Horne and Tony Bennett. Becoming a prolific session musician, he also studied classical guitar at the University of Southern California.

Lee's solo career began with the album First Course (1976), followed by Captain Fingers, The Captain's Journey (1978), and Feel the Night (1979).

In 1979, he "was brought in to beef up" one of Pink Floyd's The Wall's heaviest rock numbers, "Run Like Hell". He played "uncredited rhythm guitar" on "One of My Turns". As the 1980s began, he began to add stronger elements of pop to his music, beginning with Rit (1981). "Is It You" with vocals by Eric Tagg reached No. 15 on the Billboard pop chart and No. 27 on the Soul chart. The track peaked at number fifteen on Hot Adult Contemporary chart. He continued with the pop-oriented music for Rit/2 (1982) and Banded Together (1984), while releasing a Direct-Disk instrumental album in 1983 called On the Line. He also provided rhythm guitar on Tom Browne's album Funkin' for Jamaica. He recorded Harlequin (1985) with Dave Grusin and vocals by Ivan Lins. His next album, Earth Run, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. Portrait (GRP, 1987) included guest performances by the Yellowjackets, Djavan, and Kenny G.

In 1988, his Brazilian influence came to the forefront on Festival, an album featuring his work on nylon-string guitar. He changed direction with his straight-ahead jazz album Stolen Moments which he recorded with saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Harvey Mason. During the same year, he composed the theme song for the Canadian TV series Ramona.

In 1991 Lee and keyboardist Bob James formed the group Fourplay along with Harvey Mason and Nathan East. He left the group in 1997 to pursue other projects and was replaced by Larry Carlton.

In 2005 he released the career retrospective Overtime. Smoke n' Mirrors came out the next year with the debut of his thirteen-year-old son, Wesley, on drums.

Celebrating his fifty years as a guitarist in 2010, he released 6 String Theory, a title that refers to six musical areas covered by the use of guitar. And over his career his accolades include: 45 albums, Grammy award winner with 16 nominations, Los Angeles' Jazz Society Honouree (2019), plus thousands of sessions with many legendary artists.

He has also used many lead vocalists on his albums including Bill Champlin, Eric Tagg, Patti Austin, Phil Perry, Maxi Priest and Lisa Fischer.

Lee remains very active within the music industry and is currently making live appearances on the U.S. jazz circuit with Dave Grusin.

American Jazz Guitarist

Lee Mack Ritenour

Born:

11th January 1952

ALBUMS:

First Course, The captains fingers , The captains Journey

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