Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Perform at Pittsburgh International Jazz Fest

Five-time Grammy-winning Minneapolis producers/songwriters, keyboardist James Samuel Harris, III, aka Jimmy Jam, and bassist Terry Lewis are one of the most successful and influential producer/songwriter teams of all time. They put Janet Jackson in “Control,” and made her and her brother Michael “Scream,” told the SOS Band to “Take Your Time, Do it Right,” and gave Cheryl Lynn her well-deserved “Encore.” Now, this dynamic duo, along with some special friends, will perform a very rare live set at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens (PIJF) on Saturday, September 16, 8:45 pm, at Highmark Stadium.

Joining Jam and Lewis onstage will be several of the lead vocalists from many of the producers’ hit songs. They include the Los Angeles-born chanteuse Cherrelle, whose sweet and sassy vocals made hits of “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On,” and “Saturday Love” (with Alexander O’Neal); Ann Nesby, the gospel-grooved singer who took The Sounds of Blackness to the top of the charts with their anthemic single “Optimistic;” and Atlanta’s Mary Davis, the down-home diva, whose Southern Belle sound made “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” into an R&B classic. Other Jam/Lewis-produced vocalists performing include Chicago vocalist/composer Kevin Ford, aka K-Luva, whose 1998 album K-Luva Jams was produced by the duo, and the African-American/Korean/Japanese singer/songwriter/radio host Crystal Kay, who will be singing Janet Jackson’s hits, such as “Control,” “Nasty” and “What Have ‘You Done For Me Lately.”

The set list of Jam and Lewis can draw from many of their aforementioned tunes, as well as their hits by their former group, The Time. And, don’t forget their 2021 debut CD, Jam & Lewis Vol. 1, featuring Nesby, Babyface, Mariah Carey, The Roots, Usher, Charlie Wilson, Heather Headley, Mary J. Blige, Morris Day and Jerome Benton.

Their numbers speak for themselves: 16 #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, 26 #1 R&B singles and over 100 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond albums. The sonic source of Jam’s and Lewis’ success is the Minneapolis Sound: a synth-driven blend of rock, R&B and funk they co-created with Prince, Andre Cymone and Morris Day. That sound catapulted Janet Jackson to stardom, and the duo also worked with a wide spectrum of artists from Patti Labelle, The Sounds of Blackness, Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, George Michael, The Human League and Earth, Wind and Fire, to name a very select few.

The origins of the Minneapolis Sound spring from Jam’s and Lewis’ childhood growing up in that city in the late sixties and seventies. They met in a junior high school Upward Bound program, initially played in rival bands that included a musical prodigy named Prince. Jam and Lewis eventually joined forces in a group called Flyte Tyme, which included Morris Day on drums. When Prince signed with Warner Brothers and launched his career, he recruited Jam and Lewis and created and produced the funk band, The Time, whose hits included “Jungle Love,” “The Bird” and “7779311.”

Against Prince’s wishes, Jam and Lewis started working as producers. In March of 1983, they were in Atlanta working with The SOS Band when a rare blizzard grounded the duo, made them miss a gig with The Time in San Antonio, and were fired by Prince. “… [He] freed us to pursue our destiny,” says Lewis in an interview with Classicpopmag.com. “The fact we ended up working, getting in a snowstorm and getting fired for it was apropos – because it was bound to happen. So, at that point, Prince freed us, the same night we were mixing The SOS Band’s “Just Be Good to Me.” Without missing a beat, Jam and Lewis finished producing The SOS Band, who were signed to the late legendary music executive’s Clarence Avant’s Tabu label.

But, it was with Janet Jackson that Jam and Lewis found their greatest success as producers. They transformed her image as a shy performer into a powerhouse entertainer with mega hit albums including “Control,” “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814,” “Janet,” “The Velvet Rope,” All For You,” “Damita Jo” “20 Y.O.,” “Discipline” and “Unbreakable.”

For tickets and more information, log on to www.pittsburghjazzfestival.org.