Richard Tee
Richard Tee was an American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as "In Your Eyes", "Slip Slidin' Away", "Just the Two of Us", "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow ", "Crackerbox Palace", "Tell Her About It", and many others.
Biography
Richard Tee was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, where he spent most of his life and lived with his mother in a brownstone apartment building.Tee graduated from The High School of Music & Art in New York City and attended the Manhattan School of Music. Though better known as a studio and session musician, Tee led a jazz ensemble, the Richard Tee Committee, and was a founding member of the band Stuff. In 1981, he played the piano and Fender Rhodes for Simon and Garfunkel's Concert In Central Park.
Tee played with a diverse range of artists during his career, including Paul Simon, Carly Simon, The Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Diane Schuur, Donny Hathaway, Peter Allen, George Harrison, Diana Ross, Duane Allman, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Art Garfunkel, Nina Simone, Juice Newton, Billy Joel, Etta James, Grover Washington Jr., Eric Clapton, Kenny Loggins, Patti Austin, David Ruffin, Lou Rawls, Ron Carter, Peter Gabriel, George Benson, Joe Cocker, Chuck Mangione, Tim Finn, Peabo Bryson, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, Phoebe Snow, Doc Severinsen, Leo Sayer, Herbie Mann and countless others. He also contributed to numerous gold and platinum albums during his long career and joined Stuff led by bassist Gordon Edwards. Other members of the band included guitarist Cornell Dupree, drummer Chris Parker, and later guitarist Eric Gale and drummer Steve Gadd.
After a 16-year relationship with Eleana Steinberg Tee of Greenwich, Connecticut, the couple was married in Woodstock, New York, by New York State Supreme Court Justice Bruce Wright. The couple moved to the Chelsea Hotel in 1988, and later to Cold Spring, New York.
Tee died on July 21, 1993 in Calvary Hospital aged 49, after suffering from prostate cancer. He was survived by his mother Helen Ten Ryk of Brooklyn, six sons, and two stepdaughters. He is buried in the Artist Cemetery in Woodstock, New York.
Equipment
Tee used a diverse range of keyboards during his recording and touring career, notably the Hammond organ, piano, Hohner clavinet and synthesizers. His trademark sound, however, was his unique method of playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano and feeding the signal through an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone effect pedal phase shifter.Discography
As leader
- Strokin'
- Natural Ingredients
- The Bottom Line
- Inside You
- Real Time
- The Right Stuff
- Real Time Live in Concert 1992
As guest
- Tell It Like It Is
- Give Me the Night
- In Your Eyes
- Big Boss Band with the Count Basie Orchestra
- Love Remembers
- It's a Funky Thing to Do
- Help Me Make it Through the Night
- We Got a Good Thing Going
- Wildflower
- Hank Crawford's Back
- Teasin'
- Coast to Coast
- Can't Get Through
- Child's Play
- Uncle Funky
- Gadd About
- The Gadd Gang
- Here & Now
- Live at the Bottom Line
- Gadd Gang
- Stuff
- More Stuff
- Stuff It
- Live Stuff
- Live In New York
- East
- Best Stuff
- Stuff Live in Montreux
- Inner City Blues
- All the King's Horses
- Soul Box - Vol. 2
- Feels So Good
- Winelight
- Skylarkin
- Come Morning
- The Best Is Yet to Come
- In Concert
- Inside Moves
- '
- Tune In, Turn On Benny Golson
- Soul Drums Bernard Purdie
- Soul Rebel Bob Marley
- I Heard That Quincy Jones
- Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes Shirley Scott
- Lena & Gabor Lena Horne and Gábor Szabó
- Good Vibes Gary Burton
- Cornucopia Dizzy Gillespie
- Comment Les McCann
- Live at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper Esther Phillips
- Everybody's Talkin' King Curtis
- Suite 16 Yusef Lateef
- Boys from Dayton Snooky Young
- Blacknuss Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- Salt Song Stanley Turrentine
- Quiet Fire Roberta Flack
- Push Push Herbie Mann
- Young, Gifted and Black Aretha Franklin
- Chuck Rainey Coalition Chuck Rainey
- Sweet Buns & Barbeque Houston Person
- Soul Is... Pretty Purdie Bernard Purdie
- Alone Again Esther Phillips
- The Final Comedown Grant Green
- Sweet Buns & Barbeque Houston Person
- The Weapon David Newman
- Blues Farm Ron Carter
- Don't Mess with Mister T. Stanley Turrentine
- Abandoned Luncheonette Daryl Hall & John Oates
- In the Beginning Hubert Laws
- I Can Stand a Little Rain Joe Cocker
- Let Me in Your Life Aretha Franklin
- Your Baby Is a Lady Jackie DeShannon
- With Everything I Feel in Me Aretha Franklin
- Continental American Peter Allen
- AWB Average White Band
- Journey Arif Mardin
- The Disco Kid Van McCoy
- Anything Goes Ron Carter
- Feel Like Makin' Love Roberta Flack
- Negril Eric Gale
- Still Crazy After All These Years Paul Simon
- Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley Robert Palmer
- Jamaica Say You Will Joe Cocker
- The New York Connection Tom Scott
- Lost Generation Elliott Murphy
- Thirty Three & 1/3 George Harrison
- The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- Second Childhood Phoebe Snow
- Dinner Music Carla Bley
- Stingray Joe Cocker
- End of a Rainbow Patti Austin
- The Real McCoy Van McCoy
- Endless Flight Leo Sayer
- Native New Yorker Odyssey
- Firefly Jeremy Steig
- Roots Quincy Jones
- Havana Candy Patti Austin
- Cissy Houston Cissy Houston
- Never Letting Go Phoebe Snow
- Watermark Art Garfunkel
- Lady Put the Light Out Frankie Valli
- Celebrate Me Home Kenny Loggins
- The Stranger Billy Joel
- Ringo the 4th Ringo Starr
- The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux
- Multiplication Eric Gale
- Phonogenic – Not Just Another Pretty Face Melanie
- It Begins Again Dusty Springfield
- Don't Cry Out Loud Melissa Manchester
- Luxury You Can Afford Joe Cocker
- Boys in the Trees Carly Simon
- Deep in the Night Etta James
- Intimate Strangers Tom Scott
- Cheryl Lynn Cheryl Lynn
- Queen of the Night Loleatta Holloway
- Against the Grain Phoebe Snow
- Chaka Chaka Khan
- Warmer Communications Average White Band
- Scratch My Back David "Fathead" Newman
- Prisoner Cher
- Spy Carly Simon
- In Love Cheryl Lynn
- La Diva Aretha Franklin
- I Could Have Been a Sailor Peter Allen
- Fate for Breakfast Art Garfunkel
- Syreeta Syreeta Wright
- Connections Richie Havens
- Aretha Aretha Franklin
- Guilty Barbra Streisand
- Love Sensation Loleatta Holloway
- What Cha' Gonna Do for Me Chaka Khan
- Apple Juice Tom Scott
- RIT Lee Ritenour
- Living Eyes Bee Gees
- Blade Runner
- Heartbreaker Dionne Warwick
- I'm the One Roberta Flack
- Tantalizingly Hot Stephanie Mills
- Quiet Lies Juice Newton
- Fill Up The Night Sadao Watanabe
- Hearts and Bones Paul Simon
- Escapade Tim Finn
- In My Life Patti Austin
- An Innocent Man Billy Joel
- Born to Love Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack
- Merciless Stephanie Mills
- Universal Rhythm Ralph MacDonald
- Watching You Watching Me Bill Withers
- "Underground" David Bowie
- So Peter Gabriel
- 10th Avenue Patrick Williams New York Band on "Still Crazy After All These Years"
- Streamlines Tom Scott
- Get Close to My Love Jennifer Holliday
- Sound Investment Flip Phillips & Scott Hamilton
- Red Hot Rhythm & Blues Diana Ross
- At Home Janis Siegel
- The Camera Never Lies Michael Franks
- Close Up Dave Sanborn
- Talkin' 'Bout You Diane Schuur
- The Real Me Patti Austin
- Hot Water Jimmy Buffett
- At Last Lou Rawls
- Street Smarts Eddie Gomez
- Journeyman Eric Clapton
- Soul Provider Michael Bolton
- Midnight in San Juan Earl Klugh
- Bottom's Up Victor Bailey
- Mariah Carey Mariah Carey
- Leap of Faith Kenny Loggins
- Star Time James Brown
- Upfront David Sanborn
- Am I Not Your Girl? Sinéad O'Connor
- I'll Take Care of You Cissy Houston, Chuck Jackson
- Evolution of Herbie Mann Herbie Mann
- Black Tie White Noise David Bowie
- Friends Can Be Lovers Dionne Warwick
- Skyline'' Phil Carmen