International Archives For The Jazz Organ (IAJO) - The Jazz Organ Scene USA

Bobby Lyle

Bobby (*1944 in Memphis, TN) is a jazz pianist/organist and educator. He grew up in a musical household after the family moved from Memphis to Minneapolis when Bobby was age 1. He showed an early aptitude for music with his mother, a church organist, being his first piano teacher when he was aged just six years old. By junior high school he was playing clarinet and flute in the band as well as continuing piano lessons. He had already started playing jazz by ear, and by the time he attended Central High School in Minneapolis, MN he came to the attention of drummer Harry Dillon who hired him to play in his trio at a private club in St. Paul, MN. Bobby was 16 years old and this was his first professional gig. After graduating from Central High Bobby attended Macalester College in St. Paul where he studied piano for two years under his tutor, pianist and composer, Professor Donald Betts (1929-2021). He then left to become a full time musician. He was soon hired by ex Ramsey Lewis bandmates Redd Holt (drums) and Eldee Young (bass) to begin touring the national jazz club circuit as Young-Holt Unlimited. In 1970, aged 26, Bobby met and briefly played with Jimi Hendrix who was planning on starting a jazz-rock group with Bobby and fellow Minnesotans Willie Weeks (bass) and Bill Lordan (drums) before Hendrix's death later that year.

Bobby's first recording opportunity came about as the result of winning an International organ competition sponsored by the Yamaha Music Corporation in 1973. The album, Bobby Lyle Plays the Electone GX707 was released in 1973 and became the first piece in a long career discography. The GX707 was the forerunner of Yamaha's pared down DX7 which ushered in a new era of portable keyboard synthesizers. In 1974 Bobby with wife Delores and two young sons all moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a music career. Through a friend he was introduced to Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone) and after a brief audition was touring with Sly and the Family Stone for the rest of the year. Following this engagement Bobby met trombonist and co-founder of the Jazz Crusaders Wayne Henderson. Henderson was producing Ronnie Laws at the time and put the two of them together in the studio. Eventually Bobby was touring with Laws.

Henderson then took Lyle's demo to Larkin Arnold, the Vice President of A&R at Capitol Records, and secured him a record deal which resulted in three albums, the first of which was the classic The Genie in 1977. Capitol eventually dropped their jazz division. During this period in the early 80's Lyle toured with George Benson and then became musical director for singers Phyllis Hyman, Bette Midler (with whom he received an Emmy nomination for musical direction after her HBO special 'Diva Las Vegas' in 1999), Al Jarreau, and Anita Baker. In June 1983 Bobby played keyboards with Al Jarreau at a concert held in Milano, Italy. In 1987 after a live audition for Atlantic Records Sylvia Rhone, Vice President of A&R, signed him to a deal which produced six albums in nine years. In 1990 his album The Journey reached number 1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. Then followed three albums on independent labels.

In 2013 Bobby started his own label "New Warrior Music" to go with his Genie Productions company. Under this banner he produced and released a tribute to his Hammond B-3 idol Jimmy Smith called 'The Way I Feel'. More recently he has also been working as a jazz piano instructor and practitioner of master classes in colleges and High schools. On 08 November 2020, Lyle was inducted into the Black Music Awards Hall of Fame in Houston, TX. In 1997, Lyle was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction as Bette Midler’s Music Director, and, in 2021 for his latest single Living in the Flow. In March 2021 he released the album 'Ivory Flow' which was a return to the contemporary/smooth genre he helped to pioneer.

Lyle continues to perform with his own band and also currently teaches and mentors jazz piano to students both privately as well as in clinics and seminars. Walker Elementary School in Houston has set up a Bobby Lyle Music Scholarship Fund.

from Wikipedia

I Walk In The Love Of God Polydor PD-1-6132 released 1978	Harold Hunter, alto sax Joel Peskin, tenor sax Glenn Ferris, trombone Harry Kim, trumpet Roland Bautista, guitar Billy Rogers, guitar Dean Gant, synthesizer Don Beck, Hammond organ, bass Steve Gutierrez, synthesizer, drums, percussion Bobby Lyle, clavichord, Hammond organ, piano Victor Feldman, vibes, chime Vance "Mad Dog" Tenort, percussion
I Walk In The Love Of God Eternal Dance 71021 recorded in Santa Monica, CA/USA	Agape International Choir Cal Bennett, sax Jorge Evans, guitar Al McKay, guitar Benjamin Dowling, piano Bobby Lyle, Hammond organ Rob McDonald, bass Stephen Bray, drums Stanley Benders, percussion Jules Bucceiri, percussion Kyle Devorroh, vocals Beverly Freeman, vocals Esterlee Nicholson, vocals Brenda Woods, vocals
Bette Warner Bros. 9 47843-2 recorded in Hollywood, CA and New York, NY/USA	Bette Midler, vocals Dan Higgins, tenor sax Plas Johnson, tenor sax Wayne Rodrigues, tenor sax Joe Sublett, tenor sax Jerry Vivino, tenor sax Gary Herbig, baritone sax Gary Grant, trumpet Jerry Hey, trumpet Mark Isham, trumpet Darrell Leonard, trumpet Mark Goldenberg, guitar Paul Jackson jr., guitar Dean Parks, guitar Tim Pierce, guitar Dwight Sills, guitar Larry Cohn, keyboards, piano Bobby Lyle, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, piano Jamie Muhoberac, keyboards Rick Nowels, keyboards Marc Shaiman, keyboards Reggie Hamilton, bass Abraham Laboriel sr., bass Sonny Emory, drums Lenny Castro, percussion
The Way I Feel New Warrior Music	Bobby Lyle, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer Brennen Nase, guitar Keith Vivens, bass Mark Prince, drums Mark Simmons, drums Patrick Williams, drums Milton Comeaux, percussion
A Gift Of Love Rhino Records R2 553201	Bette Midler, vocals Glaswegians Orchestra Moogy Klingman, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, harmonica John Lissauer, conductor, sax Arif Mardin, conductor Ralph Schuckett, conductor, piano, clavinet, organ, harmonium Marc Shaiman, conductor, piano Andy Snitzer, soprano sax Dan Higgins, tenor sax Plas Johnson, tenor sax Joe Sublett, tenor sax Nino Tempo, tenor sax Jerry Vivino, tenor sax Gary Herbig, baritone sax Mark Hatch, horn Marc "Caz" Macino, horn Barry Rogers, horn Eric M. Jorgensen, trombone Chris Botti, trumpet Randy Brecker, trumpet Mel Davis, trumpet Gary Grant, trumpet Jerry Hey, trumpet Mark Isham, trumpet Darrell Leonard, trumpet Jack Sheldon, trumpet Shelley Woodworth, oboe Phil Bodner, clarinet William Siapin, flute Gene Bertoncini, guitar Dennis Budimir, guitar Rick Derringer, pedal steel guitar Prince Eyango, guitar Buzz Feiten, guitar, tambourine Jerry Friedman, guitar Andrew Gold, guitar Mark Goldenberg, guitar, synthesizer John Goux, guitar Danny Jacob, guitar Paul Jackson jr., guitar Philip Kennard, guitar Danny Kortchmar, guitar Michael Landau, guitar Steve Lukather, guitar Jay Dee Maness, guitar John McCurry, guitar Mike Miller, guitar Michael O'Reilly, guitar Dean Parks, guitar Tim Pierce, guitar Todd Rundgren, guitar Chas Sanford, guitar, synthesizer Dwight Sills, guitar David Spinozza, guitar Waddy Wachtel, guitar Brock Walsh, guitar, piano Dave Webster, slide guitar Eric Weissberg, banjo, mandolin Michael Boddicker, synthesizer Robbie Buchanan, piano, synthesizer Larry Cohn, synthesizer, keyboards, piano Dominic Cortese, accordion Claude Gaudette, synthesizer, keyboards Dave Grusin, keyboards Dick Hyman, piano Robert Irving III, synthesizer, piano Randy Kerber, keyboards Robbie Kondor, organ, piano, synthesizer Greg Kurstin, keyboards Michael Lang, keyboards Bernie Layton, piano Bobby Lyle, synthesizer, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ Joe Mardin, keyboards, synthesizer Bobby Martin, synthesizer, organ Boris Matusewitch, concertina Jamie Muhoberac, keyboards Rick Nowels, keyboards Marc Shaiman, keyboards Sivuca, accordion Steve Skinner, keyboards, synthesizer Don Brooks, harmonica Kenny Kosek, fiddle Gene Orloff, violin string section Jerry Barnes, bass Chuck Berghofer, bass Ron Carter, bass Dave Demare, bass Chuck Domanico, bass Tim Drummond, bass Reggie Hamilton, bass Milt Hinton, bass Abraham Laboriel, bass Jay Leonhart, bass Mark Leonard, bass John Miller, bass Robert "Pops" Popswell, bass Vernon Porter, bass John Siegler, bass Neil Stubenhaus, bass Michael Visceglia, bass Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, bass Mike Baird, drums Frank Capp, drums Vinnie Colaiuta, drums Sonny Emory, drums Steve Gadd, drums James Gadson, drums Jim Keltner, drums Ricky Lawson, drums David Logeman, drums, percussion Joe Mardin, drums Harvey Mason, drums Jeff Porcaro, drums Mark Rosengarden, drums, percussion Teddy Sommer, drums, percussion Alvin Stoller, drums Grady Tate, drums Carlos Vega, drums John Wilcox, drums Angel Allende, percussion Barbara Burton, percussion Lenny Castro, percussion Gary Coleman, percussion Paulinho da Costa, percussion Malando Gassama, percussion Bobbye Hall, congas Steve Kroon, percussion Jack Malken, percussion Norman Pride, congas James Caan, vocals Angela Cappelli, vocals Rachele Cappelli, vocals Bob Dylan, vocals Gail Farrell, vocals Ula Hedwig, vocals Angie Jaree, vocals David Lasley, vocals Marcy Levy, vocals Melissa Mackay, vocals Arnold McCuller, vocals David Pack, vocals Gene Merlino, vocals Joe Pizzulo, vocals The Radio Choir of New Hope Church Bob Tebow, vocals

contact:	contact@bobbylylethegenie.com
homepage:	bobbylylethegenie.com
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