(AURN News) — On this day, Nov. 24, 1956, Terry Lewis, one half of the groundbreaking production duo Jam & Lewis, was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Today, he turns 69.
Lewis’s family moved to Minneapolis in the early 1960s, where fate connected him with James “Jimmy Jam” Harris III. That meeting sparked one of the most influential creative partnerships in modern music.
Before becoming a defining force in R&B and pop, Lewis had dreams of playing in the NFL. He even earned a football scholarship to Notre Dame, but a senior-year knee injury ended his athletic aspirations and redirected him toward music, a detour that ultimately shaped the sound of Black popular music.
Together, Jam & Lewis crafted era-defining hits for artists including Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men, Sounds of Blackness, Patti LaBelle and many more. Their contributions changed the landscape of contemporary music and continue to inspire generations.
Happy birthday to Terry Lewis.
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