The multi-talented musician and Harlem native, Ray Chew is often described as “music director to the stars” having garnered a vast amount of accomplishments as music director for Dancing with the Stars, and formally, American Idol and It’s Showtime at The Apollo and in the 1980s performed as a member of the Saturday Night Live Band for the long-running sketch comedy show.
This month, Chew returns to Harlem Week to celebrate its 50th anniversary as bandleader Harlem Music Festival All-Star Band. He spoke to Amsterdam News via Zoom about his upcoming album and new single, “Jam,” life and his roots in Harlem World.
AmNews: It would be amazing if you would talk a bit about your roots in Harlem.
Ray Chew: That was the venue, you know, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, all Motown, everybody had to play the apollo. And I would be backstage, trying to get a glimpse of who might be coming in. And you could tell who some of the important artists were because the line would be wrapped around the block. Twice, around the full city block for James Brown, for the temptations, for Aretha Franklin. The line would wrap twice. So growing up, I knew how the culture affected me. And you know, my mother was a visionary and she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be a product of the streets so she got me into music lessons at age five and six. I had a scholarship, and I started studying at Harlem school for the arts and every music institution she could get me in. So music education, music study was a big thing. And then, of course, I went to the high school of music and art which is 135th street, and of course when I talk about the Amsterdam News and the apollo, let me go back.
Of course, the Amsterdam News was right around the corner from the apollo, between 8th avenue and 126 street. And we always knew how important the Amsterdam news was to the community because we didn;t have a major outlet. We couldn’t depend on the daily news of the post to service the community but Amsterdam news did that. So thank you guys over the years for that.
Video by Jordannah Elizabeth
AmNews: Did you insinuate as a little kid that you wanted to do music, or were you more going with the flow regarding your path in life in conjunction with your familial influence?
Ray Chew: Yeah, so actually my father was a musician. He played piano and vibes, and he had instilled in me a sense of what music was about. We always had music, he would play his vibes and his piano and I would sit and play and work with him, so it was in my blood. So, music was something that I’ve always been hearing and feeling and knowing that I’d always be doing. So it wasn’t even necessarily a different choice, or a choice that wasn’t desired by me. And they made sure I had available great training, you know, teachers and mentors, and people who were professionals in the business to guide me towards what a career would look like.
AmNews: So let’s talk about your new song “Jam” and how you got that together and then we’ll move into your wonderful event in Harlem week.
Ray Chew: I had an idea, and I talked about my journey, but in January of this year, 2024, God tapped me on the shoulder and said “It is time for you to express in your own voice as an artist the wonderful gifts I have for you.” And the title of my forthcoming album is “My Journey.” So, I already had a title for the album. This was going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And one of the things that came to me was the style of how I wanted to express myself. I had many different things to say, and I could say them with an R&B background, a jazz background, a classical background. But I wanted to start the party off with a party. So, Jam is right in that two-step party style. I was feeling that. Then, I thought, I need to get some help with the track and the beat. So, I got Kid Capri. So he was out in the studio, and we got the beat popping, and I thought “We gotta get that iconic voice, a voice that everybody’s going to know and represents classic R&B.” Who other than Stephanie Mills? So, I flew down to North Carolina to connect with her and she was in great spirits.
Our friendship is deep and long. And she gave up herself and I’m appreciative of that. So, next up, I thought “We’ve got the party going, who rocks the party? Oh, MC Light!” So, I gave her a call, and it was wonderful to hear these legends, iconic legends, just say “Of course I’ll do it.” So, I said, “just give me 8 bars,” and she said “don’t worry,” and she gave me 8 bars. And then finally, the party rocker himself, Doug E. Fresh. You know, Doug E. Fresh is still the party rocker. He’s the man, and he put his touch on it, put his voice on it, and I got some beat box. We’re going to do some other mixes with him. So, there you go, that’s Jam.
AmNews: I would love for you to encourage young people that even if it doesn’t happen at 20 and 30 and so forth that life is a forward moving trajectory, and what your thoughts are about that?
Ray Chew: Absolutely. Life, you can put it as a series of seasons. Life can be cyclical. Life can take you on hills and valleys. But the one thing that is the constant is that time moves forward. So wherever you were yesterday, figuratively or literally, that is not where you are today. So, your biggest triumphs and awards and everything, that’s still yesterday. You hear people saying “you can’t live off of yesterday,” and that’s right. But it would also apply to some of your lows, the things that may hurt you, the pain that you felt, loss. So I would encourage everybody that the term “stuck” is a misnomer because again, time marches on. So it is important that I help encourage those to know that, especially with the community of Harlem, and Harlem is celebrating 50 years of Harlem week.
I want to thank the community of Harlem, the village of Harlem. It’s a wonderful thing, to know that you always have a place to go.
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