Richard Tee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Edward Tee
Tee in 1990
Background information
Birth name	Richard Edward Ten Ryk
Born	(1943-11-24)November 24, 1943 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1993(1993-07-21) (aged 49) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Jazz fusion jazz smooth jazz crossover jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician singer-songwriter
Instruments	Keyboards vocals
Years active	1967–1993
Labels	Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	Paul Simon Hank Crawford George Benson Grover Washington Jr. Cornell Dupree Stuff Steve Gadd Jackie DeShannon Hall & Oates Billy Joel Bob Marley Quincy Jones Roberta Flack Peter Gabriel Aretha Franklin Mariah Carey Tom Scott George Harrison

Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American jazz fusion pianist, studio musician, singer, and arranger. He was a very busy studio musician, meaning he played on recordings for many different artists. He played on hundreds of songs that became popular hits. Some of these include "Until You Come Back To Me" (1974), "The Hustle" (1975), and "Just the Two of Us" (1981).

About Richard Tee

Richard Tee was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father was from Guyana, and his mother was from New York. Richard lived most of his life in Brooklyn with his mother. They lived in a brownstone apartment building.

Richard went to a special school for music and art in New York City. He also studied music at the Manhattan School of Music. Even though he was famous for playing on other artists' recordings, he also led his own jazz group called the Richard Tee Committee. He was also a founding member of the band Stuff. In 1981, he played piano for the famous Simon and Garfunkel Concert in Central Park.

Richard Tee played with many different famous artists. These included Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, George Harrison, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, and Peter Gabriel. He helped create many gold and platinum albums during his career. He joined the band Stuff with bassist Gordon Edwards. Other members of Stuff included guitarist Cornell Dupree, drummer Chris Parker, and later guitarist Eric Gale and drummer Steve Gadd.

His Music Career

Richard Tee was an arranger for the O'Jays 1968 song, "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow." An arranger helps decide how the different instruments will play in a song.

In 1976, Richard Tee played on Van McCoy's album, The Real McCoy. He played with other great musicians like Hugh McCracken, Eric Gale, and Steve Gadd.

In June 1980, Richard Tee's band Stuff played at the Berkeley Jazz Festival. His album Natural Ingredients also became popular. It was on the Cash Box Jazz Top 40 Albums chart for nine weeks.

His Personal Life

Richard Tee was married to Eleana Steinberg Tee. They had been together for 16 years before they got married in Woodstock, New York. The couple lived in the Chelsea Hotel for a while, then moved to Cold Spring, New York.

Illness and Passing

In 1993, Richard Tee started treatment for prostate cancer. He had been diagnosed with the illness during a music tour with Paul Simon. A special event was planned to honor him in Beverly Hills. Famous people like Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock were going to attend. The money raised was meant to help Richard Tee.

Richard Tee passed away on July 21, 1993, at the age of 49. He is buried in the Artist Cemetery in Woodstock, New York. His grave has a unique marker: it looks like the outline of a grand piano made from stainless steel. There is a black granite plaque on top shaped like piano keys. His nickname "Stuffy" is written on the plaque, along with his name and dates.

Musical Instruments He Used

Richard Tee used many different keyboards during his career. He often played the Hammond organ, piano, Hohner clavinet, and synthesizers. His special sound came from how he played the Fender Rhodes electric piano. He would send the sound through a special effect pedal called an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phase shifter. This gave his music a unique, swirling sound.

His Music Albums

As a Leader

• Strokin' (1979)
• Natural Ingredients (1980)
• The Bottom Line (1985)
• Inside You (1989)
• Real Time (1992)
• The Right Stuff (1993)
• Real Time Live in Concert 1992 (2012)

As a Guest Musician

Richard Tee played on many albums for other artists. Here are some of the artists he worked with:

• George Benson
• Hank Crawford
• Cornell Dupree
• Steve Gadd
• Stuff
• Grover Washington Jr.
• Bob Marley
• Quincy Jones
• Roberta Flack
• Aretha Franklin
• Paul Simon
• Billy Joel
• Peter Gabriel
• Mariah Carey
• David Bowie
• Eric Clapton
• George Harrison

See also

In Spanish: Richard Tee para niños