Richard Tee

Biography

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. Tee had several hundred studio credits and played on such hits as "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)" (1967), "Until You Come Back To Me" (1974), "The Hustle" (1975), "Slip Slidin' Away" (1977), "Just the Two of Us" (1981), "Tell Her About It" (1983), and "In Your Eyes" (1986).

Biography

Tee was born in Brooklyn, New York to Edward James Ten Ryk (1886–1963), who was from Guyana, and Helen G. Ford Skeete Ten Ryk (1902–2000), of New York. He spent most of his life in Brooklyn and lived with his mother in a brownstone apartment building.
He 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, Peabo Bryson, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, Phoebe Snow, Leo Sayer, Herbie Mann, Pino Daniele, Tim Finn, 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.

Career

Richard Tee arranged the Timothy Wilson song "Baby Baby Please" which was composed by the Poindexter Brothers and produced by George Kerr. Released in 1967, it became an R&B hit, getting to no 46 on the Billboard Top Selling R&B Singles chart.
Tee was the arranger on the O'Jays 1968 single "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow" bw "I Dig Your Act", which was released on Bell 691.
Along with Hugh McCracken, Eric Gale, and Steve Gadd, Tee played on Van McCoy's 1976 album, The Real McCoy. The album received a good review with the picks being "Love at First Sight", "Night Walk", "Theme from Star Trek", and "African Symphony".
In 1980, Tee played keyboards on Paul Simon's album "One Trick Pony" and also starred, along with Paul Simon, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale and Tony Levin in the movie of the same name.
In June 1980, the band Stuff, made up of Tee, Gordon Edwards, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, and Steve Gadd, performed at the Berkeley Jazz Festival which was held over a four day period. On the week ending July 12, 1980, Tee's album Natural Ingredients×Natural Ingredients1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1What a Woman Really Means6:07A2Now6:09A3The Nut’s Off of the Screw4:32B1Tell It Like It Is4:34B2Us4:42B3Back Door Man4:47B4Spinning Song4:42 entered the Cash Box Jazz Top 40 Albums chart at no. 31. At week three on July 26, it got to no. 20. It held that position for another week. It spent a total of nine weeks in the chart.

Personal life

After a 16-year relationship with Eleana Steinberg Tee of Greenwich, Connecticut, the couple were 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.

Illness and death

In 1993, Tee had begun extensive treatment for his prostate cancer following his diagnosis during his time with Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints tour.A special tribute event was set up for him and was to take place June 6, 1993 at Club Tatou in Beverly Hills. Those set to attend included Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Chevy Chase. Proceeds from the event were to go to Humantics Foundation for Richard Tee.
Tee died on July 21, 1993, in Calvary Hospital age 49, after suffering from prostate cancer. He is buried in the Artist's Cemetery in Woodstock, New York. Tee's grave is marked by the outline of a grand piano (as viewed from above) made from stainless steel, with a black granite plaque in a keyboard design on top. Tee's nickname of "Stuffy" is engraved on the memorial plaque, together with his name and dates.