Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam (left) and Terry Lewis in January 2012
Background information
Birth name	James Samuel Harris III Terry Steven Lewis
Also known as	Jam & Lewis Jimmy & Terry
Born	June 6, 1959 (1959-06-06) (age 63) (Jimmy Jam) November 24, 1956 (1956-11-24) (age 66) (Terry Lewis)
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota (Jimmy Jam) Omaha, Nebraska (Terry Lewis)
Genres	R&B pop new jack swing hip hop soul gospel
Occupation(s)	Record producers multi-instrumentalists songwriters
Instrument(s)	Keyboards piano synthesizers drum machine (Jimmy Jam) bass guitar percussion (Terry Lewis)
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Tabu Perspective Flyte Tyme

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most notably Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.

History

Jimmy Jam is the son of Cornbread Harris, a Minneapolis blues and jazz musician. Jimmy Jam met Lewis while he was a student at Washburn High School in Minneapolis.

Harris formed or joined an 11 piece band called Mind & Matter.

Later came Flyte Tyme, which evolved into the Time.), including Condensate which the group recorded as the Original 7ven.

In 1982, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were introduced to the music executive Dina R. Andrews, who was then an employee of Dick Griffey's SOLAR Records, where they would be mentored by record producer Leon Sylvers III.

The pair were fired by Prince from a tour after a blizzard left them unable to rejoin during a short break to produce music for the S.O.S. Band. However, one of the tracks they were producing, "Just Be Good to Me", became a hit and sealed the duo's reputation, as well as that of the S.O.S. Band. - an A&M Records distributed label that has since been closed and then reactivated. Later that year, their newly minted label experienced success with a Minneapolis-based gospel/R&B collective of artists known as Sounds of Blackness. Their debut single, "Optimistic", served as a groundbreaking anthem stressing positivity and encouragement. The song served as a summer and fall anthem and began propelling Jam and Lewis' new boutique label towards the top. Other successes followed with Blackness as well as music from labelmates Mint Condition, Lo-Key? and Solo. A highlight for Perspective was the opportunity to release the soundtrack for the 1992 motion picture Mo Money, which starred Damon Wayans, Stacey Dash and Marlon Wayans. Executive produced by Jam and Lewis, the soundtrack featured cuts from Mint Condition, Ralph Tresvant and Caron Wheeler, as well as a duet by Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross.

In an illustrious career that has spanned more than three decades, Jam and Lewis have worked with artists such as Lionel Richie, Herb Alpert, TLC, Sounds of Blackness, Yolanda Adams, Jordan Knight, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Usher, Johnny Gill, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Prince, Mýa, Bryan Adams, Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, George Michael, Melanie B, Rod Stewart, Kelly Price, Gwen Stefani, New Edition, Eric Benet, Pia Zadora, SOLO, and the Human League. In 2006, they won a Grammy for Yolanda Adams' song "Be Blessed", from her 2005 album Day By Day. In 2007, Jam and Lewis produced the two-time Grammy Award-winning CD Funk This for Chaka Khan, which included the Award-winning R&B duet "Disrespectful", with Mary J. Blige.

The production duo reunited with the Time at the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008, in a medley that included the artist Rihanna, and featuring "Jungle Love". In June and July 2008, all of the original members of the Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir) reunited once again for a series of shows at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Jam and Lewis worked on Ruben Studdard's album, Love Is as well as Johnny Gill's 2011 album Still Winning. Their most recent hits as producers were "Pure Gold" from Earth, Wind & Fire's 2005 album Illumination and "Higher Than This" from Ledisi's 2009 album Turn Me Loose.

Discography

See also: List of songs produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and List of songs written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

Studio albums

Title	Studio album details	Peak chart positions
		US Sales	UK Dig.
Jam & Lewis: Volume One	Released: July 9, 2021 Label: Flyte Tyme, BMG Formats: CD, digital download	17	17

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions			Album
		US R&B	US Adult R&B	US Gospel Airplay
"Til I Found You" (featuring Sounds of Blackness)	2019	—	22	21	Jam & Lewis: Volume One
"He Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout It" (featuring Babyface)	2020	16	4	—
"Somewhat Loved" (featuring Mariah Carey)	2021	—	12	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Charts

They have produced 16 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, and 26 Billboard R&B No. 1 hits.

They have had 41 songs reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and 31 in the top 10 in the UK.

In 1993, Jam & Lewis were nominated with Janet Jackson for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Again", from the movie Poetic Justice.

In 2020 Jam & Lewis were nominated with Sheila E. for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for the TV special Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince.

Grammy Awards

Jam & Lewis have won five Grammy Awards. They have received the most nominations for Producer of the Year, with 11 nominations. They won the award in 1987 at the 29th Grammy Awards, in the first year they were nominated.