Amos Lee
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| Amos Lee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| Genre(s) | Jazz fusion, Soul, Folk | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist | |
| Years active | 2004 – present | |
| Label(s) | Blue Note | |
| Website | AmosLee.com | |
Amos Lee is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His musical style encompasses folk, soul, and jazz. He has released two albums on Blue Note Records, Amos Lee and Supply and Demand. He has been on tour with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, and Merle Haggard. Lee performs with drummer Fred Berman, bassist Jaron Olevsky, and guitarist Nate Skiles. Lee was musically influenced by Stevie Wonder, John Prine, Bill Withers, and James Taylor.
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[edit] Early life
Amos Lee grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Lee enrolled at the University of South Carolina in 1995, graduating with an English degree. While attending the university, Lee's stepfather gave him an acoustic guitar. Also, Lee found a job at a record store that specialized in jazz musicians, where he picked up an affinity for Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.[1] After college, he moved back to Philadelphia to teach elementary school. Amos Lee later made the decision to stop teaching in order to pursue a career in music. Amos Lee released a self-produced EP that featured five songs in 2003, and was signed by Blue Note Records soon afterward. The EP sold well in Philadelphia, catching the attention of Norah Jones. Jones invited Lee to open for her on her 2004 tour.
[edit] Musical career
[edit] Debut album
Lee Alexander, the bassist in Norah Jones' band, produced Amos Lee's self-titled debut album, which was released in March of 2005. Norah Jones made an appearance on several of the tracks, playing piano and contributing vocals. The album found significant commercial success, hitting a peak of #2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.[2] Later that month he was named one of Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Artists to Watch."[1] To promote the album, Lee performed on popular television shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Total Request Live, and Austin City Limits,[3] the latter on August 10, 2005, which was also aired on PBS on November 11 of that year. In March and April of 2005, Lee opened for Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan. Lee's song "Colors" was featured on House[4] and on the finale of the second season of Grey's Anatomy.[5] It was also used in the 2005 movie Just Like Heaven, which featured Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Lee's songs "Shout Out Loud" and "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" were both used during the first season of the ABC show Six Degrees. "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" was also heard during the first season of NBC's Studio 60. NBC also utilised Lee's "Seen It All Before" on an episode of their widely-acclaimed ER primetime drama series.
[edit] Supply and Demand
Lee's second album, titled Supply and Demand, was released October 3, 2006 in the United States. The album was produced by Natalie Merchant's bassist Barrie Maguire, and peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200. Jazz singer Lizz Wright contributed background vocals on the song "Freedom". The first single from the album is "Shout Out Loud."[6] To promote the album, Lee played on The Tonight Show on September 28, 2006. The track "Skipping Stone" also played on the ER episode "Dying Is Easy" (originally aired February 8th 2007).[3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
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[edit] Extended Plays
- Amos Lee EP, Blue Note Records, 2004
- Live from KCRW, Blue Note Records, 2005
[edit] References
- ^ a b Gitlin, Lauren. "10 Artists to Watch: Amos Lee", Rolling Stone, March 10, 2005.
- ^ "Top Heatseekers", Billboard, June 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Internet Movie Database: Amos Lee. Accessed October 3, 2006
- ^ play.house (English). Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
- ^ ABC.com Grey's Anatomy: Music Guide.Accessed October 1, 2006
- ^ Amos Lee - Music. Accessed October 1, 2006
