Lee Ritenour

Lee Ritenour Biography



Lee Ritenour, acoustic/electric guitar, grew up in Los Angeles in the 1960's. This Grammy Award- winning guitarist received a rich cross section of exposure to jazz, rock and Brazilian music. Beginning with his first session at 16 with the Mamas and Papas, and accompanying Lena Horne and Tony Bennett at 18, his forty year eclectic and storied career is highlighted by a Grammy Award win for his 1986 album collaboration with Dave Grusin, Harlequin; 17 Grammy nominations; numerous 1 spots in guitar polls, and the prestigious "Alumnus of the Year" award from USC. He has recorded more than 40 albums, with 35 chart songs, notably the Top 15 hit "Is It You," which has become a contemporary jazz radio classic. In the '90s, Ritenour was a founding member of Fourplay, the most successful band in contemporary jazz, with keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East and drummer Harvey Mason. The first Fourplay album in 1991 spent an unprecedented 33 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary Jazz chart. Adding to this legacy are his CD Smoke 'n' Mirrors released in 2006; the recently completed Grammy nominated recording Amparo, (a follow-up, with Dave Grusin, to their highly-successful 2001 Grammy Award-nominated contemporary classical crossover CD) and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's latest CD Act Your Age (nominated for 3 Grammys), for which Lee was the producer. It's been a long road since the 70's, when Ritenour's legendary Tuesday night appearances at the famed Baked Potato with a band including Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen, Harvey Mason and Ernie Watts, became part of the musical landscape for five years. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample, and even Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell could be seen in the audiences that would pack the house till the wee hours of the morning. As a young guitarist, Ritenour's diverse music became the foundation of more than 3,000 sessions, spanning genres from rock to blues to Jazz, with a broad spectrum of artists such as Pink Floyd (The Wall), Steely Dan (Aja), Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, B.B. King, Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand. Not to be forgotten is the dazzling array of talent appearing on his solo albums and collaborations, notably -- Phil Collins, Brazilian greats Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso, Djavan and Jao Bosco, George Benson, Chaka Kahn, Herbie Hancock, Michael McDonald and opera great Renee Fleming.
Lee is currently producing a Superstar Guitar Collaboration album entitled "Six String Theory," which is scheduled for release on Concord Records in the summer of 2010. The record will feature Ritenour legendary guitar icons BB King, George Benson, Steve Lukather, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Pat Martino, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Cray, Keb Mo, Vince Gill, Guthrie Govan, Robben Ford, Andy McKee, and Joe Robinson. In conjunction with the album, the project also includes an online guitar competition sponsored by Yamaha Corporation, Concord Records, Berklee College of Music, Monster, Cable, D'Addario Strings and the Broad Stage.
A website named www.sixstringtheory.com was developed for contestants to submit their videos in the following six categories: Rock, Blues, Jazz/Fusion, Country, Acoustic, or Classical/Flamenco. The online entries will be judged and the top six finalists from each category will be invited to compete in a live performance to determine the Grand Prize winner on March 22, 2010 at The Broad Stage in Los Angeles where Lee will also be hosting a guitar clinic that same afternoon.
The Grand Prize winner will be featured as a special guest on the Six String Theory album and will also receive a four-year, fully paid tuition to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Yamaha Corporation is awarding three guitar endorsements plus six high-end guitars to the top winners, one in each of the six categories and the top winners will also be awarded a host of prizes by the participating sponsors.