Glenn Lewis

Infobox musical artist
Name = Glenn Lewis
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Glen Ricketts
Born = birth date and age|1975|3|13
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre = R&B, Neo soul
Occupation = singer, songwriter
Years_active = 1998 - present
Label = Underdog Entertainment
Associated_acts = Stanley Clarke, The Underdogs, Kardinal Offishall

Glenn Lewis (born Glen Ricketts on March 13, 1975) is a Canadian R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter. Originally planning to pursue a career in animation as a teenager, Lewis instead decided to focus on music. His father was a member of the musical group Crack of Dawn. Lewis has cited Stevie Wonder as his biggest inspiration, and Lewis has often been compared to him because of the similarities in their tones.

Early life and career

Lewis was born in Toronto to a Trinidadian mother, and a Jamaican father. From the ages of 8 to 14, he also lived in Trinidad before moving back to Toronto. After moving back to the city, he attended high school at Eastern Commerce Collegiate, where he won a talent contest by covering Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You". After high school, Lewis began recording demos and performing at nightclubs, eventually becoming a respected act in the city. He parlayed this success into the release of his first single, "The Thing To Do" in 1998 on Beat Factory/BMG Music Canada. The song won him a Juno Award for Best R&B Recording. His second single, "Bout Your Love" earned him a Juno nomination.

This exposure eventually landed him a deal with Epic Records. Glenn's debut album, "World Outside My Window", was released on March 19 2002. Fueled by the hit single "Don't You Forget It", the album peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts. He promoted the album by touring with R&B singers Alicia Keys and Tweet, among others.

In 2002, Lewis recorded a cover version of "Superstition" for the tribute album, "." He also makes a brief appearance in the 2002 film "Maid in Manhattan" starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. He contributed the song "Fall Again" to the film's soundtrack. "Fall Again" was originally written by Walter Afanasieff and Robin Thicke for Michael Jackson's "Invincible" album to compose, but didn't make it on the track list. However, a demo of the song by Michael Jackson was later released on the "" CD set. A concert DVD, "Glenn Lewis Live", was released in 2003.

Lewis prepared his second album, "Back For More" for release in 2003. The first single, also titled "Back For More", and featuring rapper Kardinal Offishall, was released to radio and a video began to air. Inexplicably, the album was pushed back, first to later in the year, then to 2004; it remains unreleased. In the meantime, Lewis netted a Grammy nomination for his contribution to Stanley Clarke's "Where Is The Love", a duet also featuring Amel Larrieux.

Lewis left Epic Records in 2005, and is currently signed to Underdog Entertainment. A new album, "Remember Me", will likely see release in 2008 after being delayed in 2007.

Lewis currently lives in Philadelphia with his children named Tabias (the youngest) and Xavier.

Discography

Albums

*"World Outside My Window" (2002)
*"Back For More" (Unreleased)
*"Remember Me" (TBA)

ingles

* "The Thing To Do"
* "Bout Your Love"
* "Don't You Forget It"
* "It's Not Fair"
* "Back For More"

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/glnumuzk Glenn Lewis] at MySpace
* [http://youtube.com/rez23 Glenn Lewis video interview]