Ray Chew
{{short description|American musician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
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| name = Ray Chew
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| origin = Manhattan, New York City
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| occupation = musician
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| years_active = 1980–present
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Ray Chew (born 7 September 1958)https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/ray-chew is an American musician who plays keyboards and is a contemporary and orchestral arranger. He has been the music director of ABC's Dancing with the Stars since 2014.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Biography
Chew grew up in the Grant Houses in Morningside Heights, and moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, in 2000.{{cite web |last=Beckerman |first=Jim |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/intriguingpeople/The_pro_who_rules_amateur_night.html |title=The pro who rules amateur night |work=The Record |date=2009-06-28 |accessdate=2009-06-28 }} He was given a scholarship to study in the children's program at the Juilliard School on the Upper West Side at six years old, and later studied at Harlem School of the Arts.{{Cite web|url=https://internationalmusician.org/ray-chew/|title=Ray Chew | International Musician|website=internationalmusician.org}} He also studied at Third Street Music School Settlement in the early 1970s for four years.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
Chew landed his first professional gig with Tony award winner Melba Moore. At 19, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson chose him as their music director. He is credited as arranger and or pianist in recordings for artists including Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}{{Cite web |title=Ray Chew Personal Website |url=http://www.raychew.com/}}
Chew was a member of the Saturday Night Live Band from 1980 to 1983. During the 1990s and 2000s, he was music director for the syndicated television series Showtime at the Apollo and the bandleader on The Singing Bee.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} He was the bandleader during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and the Barack Obama Neighborhood Ball on the night after the first inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.{{cite web |last=Lustig |first=Jay |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2009/02/new_jersey_musician_kicks_off.html |title=New Jersey musician kicks off festival paying tribute to African-American culture |work=The Star-Ledger |date=2009-02-26 |accessdate=2009-02-26 |quote='Once we started talking about gospel we were like, You know what, we really need to do a whole other show with that,' says Chew, a New York City native who moved to Teaneck 11 years ago. }}
Chew was music director for Fox's American Idol from 2011 to 2013.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} In 2014, he musically directed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He has also served as music director for the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants since 2010.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
References
{{Reflist|1}}
Bibliography
- {{cite web |title=The One And Only Ray Chew |date=6 June 2017 |url=https://www.local802afm.org/allegro/articles/the-one-and-only-ray-chew/ }}
External links
- [http://www.raychew.com/ Official website]
- [http://www.soulinterviews.com/ray-chew-2013/ Ray Chew 2013 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com]
- {{IMDb name|1788247}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:American music arrangers
Category:Television personalities from New York City
Category:People from Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Category:Musicians from Teaneck, New Jersey
Category:Saturday Night Live Band members
Category:American music directors