Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
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Background = non_performing_personnel
Birth_name = James Harris III and Terry Lewis (respectively)
Alias = Jam & Lewis
Born =
Died =
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Instrument =
Genre = Pop
Contemporary R&B
Occupation = Songwriter
Musician
Producer
Years_active = 1980s–present
Label = Flyte Tyme
Associated_acts = The Time
Prince
Janet Jackson
The SOS Band
Cherelle
Force M.D.'s
Alexander O'Neal
Mariah Carey
Usher
The Human League
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments = Roland TR-808

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born on June 6, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956, in Omaha, Nebraska) are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most notably Janet Jackson.

The pair met in high school in Minneapolis and formed a band called Flyte Tyme, which evolved into the Time. In 1981, they were joined by Morris Day and toured with Prince as his opening act. As members of the Time they, recorded three of the group's four albums ("The Time", "What Time Is It?" and "Pandemonium". The first two albums are said to have shaped early 1980s R&B music (featuring "Cool," "Get it Up," "The Walk," "777-9311," and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too"). The pair was fired from the tour because a blizzard left them unable to rejoin after a short break to produce music for the SOS Band. However, one of the tracks they were producing, "Just be Good to Me," became a big hit and sealed the duo’s reputation, as well that of the SOS Band. The duo would rejoin the Time for one album only, 1990’s "Pandemonium".

The duo was noted for early use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine in English-language popular music, which was used in most of its productions. After working with other artists such as Cherrelle, the Human League and Alexander O'Neal, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and produced her breakthrough album "Control" in 1986, for which the duo won a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989's "Rhythm Nation 1814", was even more successful.

Since that time, they founded a record label, Perspective Records (an A&M/PolyGram Records-distributed label that has since shut its doors) and worked with artists including Jordan Knight, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Usher, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. In 2000, the two were guest performers for J-pop singer and songwriter Utada Hikaru's "Bohemian Summer" concert tour in Japan.

Terry Lewis married R&B singer Karyn White, with whom he had a daughter, Ashley Nicole. The pair has since divorced. Jimmy Jam is the Chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

See also

*List of songs produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

External links

* [http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Jimmy%20Jam:1927072398:page=biography Jimmy Jam biography at Yahoo.com]
* [http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Terry%20Lewis:1927079737:page=biography;_ylt=Aop9YeYylZd9EuxKRvPs7bNUvQcF;_ylu=X3oDMTBudjI1N2xwBF9zAzg0MzkzMzAwBHNlYwNhcnRmZWF0 Terry Lewis biography at Yahoo.com]
* [http://www.flytetyme.com/ Flyte Tyme Productions]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4576025.stm BBC Interview, May 2005]