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Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American , guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.

Biography
Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in , California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years later decided on a career in music. When he was 16 he played on his first recording session with the Mamas & the Papas. He developed a love for jazz and was influenced by guitarist .
(1997). 9781852277451, .
At the age of 17 he worked with and . He studied classical guitar at the University of Southern California. In the mid-to-late 1970s, Ritenour purchased a 1958 Fender Stratocaster that became one of his primary recording guitars. Between the early 1980s and 1987, it was modified with a 3-ply pickguard, Alembic Strat-o-blaster preamp, an added string tree, a tremolo with locking nut, and EMG S pickups.

1976–1988
Ritenour's solo career began with the album First Course (1976), a good example of the sound of the late 1970s, followed by (1977), The Captain's Journey (1978). lee Ritenour Ronniescotts.co.uk, Retrieved 9 October 2025

In 1979, he "was brought in to beef up" one of Pink Floyd's s heaviest rock numbers, "Run Like Hell".

(2026). 9781568583839, Da Capo Press. .
He played "uncredited rhythm guitar" on "One of My Turns".
(1995). 9780711943018, Omnibus Press. .
As the 1980s began, Ritenour began to add stronger elements of pop to his music, beginning with Rit (1981). Rit became his only release to chart in Australia, peaking at number 98.
(1993). 9780646119175, Australian Chart Book.
"Is It You" with vocals by reached No. 15 on the Billboard pop chart and No. 27 on the Soul chart. The track peaked at number fifteen on Hot Adult Contemporary chart. The videos for "Is It You" and "Mr. Briefcase" were both amongst the first videos played on MTV on August 1, 1981. He continued with the pop-oriented music for Rit/2 (1982) and Banded Together (1984), while releasing a Direct-Disk instrumental album in 1983 called On the Line. He also provided rhythm guitar on Tom Browne's album Funkin' for Jamaica. He recorded Harlequin (1985) with and vocals by . His next album, , was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. Portrait (GRP, 1987) included guest performances by the Yellowjackets, , and .

In 1988, his Brazilian influence came to the forefront on Festival, an album featuring his work on nylon-string guitar. He changed direction with his straight-ahead jazz album Stolen Moments which he recorded with saxophonist , pianist , bassist , and drummer . During the same year, he composed the theme song for the Canadian TV series Ramona.

1990–present
In 1991, Ritenour and keyboardist Bob James formed the group . He left the group in 1997 and was replaced by . He released the career retrospective Overtime in 2005. Smoke n' Mirrors came out the next year with the debut of his thirteen-year-old son, Wesley, on drums.

Celebrating his fifty years as a guitarist in 2010, Ritenour released 6 String Theory, a title that refers to six musical areas covered by the use of guitar.

Ritenour has been a judge for the Independent Music Awards.

In 2018, Ritenour lost his Malibu home and personal recording studio in the in California.

Lead vocalists
Lee Ritenour's first few solo albums consisted entirely of instrumentals. Beginning with Captain Fingers (1977), Ritenour used vocalists on many of his songs:

Awards
Grammy Awards
Ritenour has received one Grammy award out of sixteen nominations.
1978Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition"The Captain's Journey"
1981Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental PerformanceRIT
1985Grammy Award for Best Arrangement on an Instrumental"Early A.M. Attitude"
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)Harlequin
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)"Harlequin"
1986Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition"Earth Run"
1990Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion PerformanceStolen Moments
1993Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (Instrumental)Between the Sheets
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo"4 on 6"
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or GroupWes Bound
1994Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals"Ability to Swing"
1995Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz PerformanceElixir
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz PerformanceLarry and Lee
1997Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz PerformanceAlive in L.A.
1997Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover AlbumTwo Worlds
  • Album of the Year, Jazziz magazine (2010) - 6 String Theory.
  • Best International Instrumentalist, (2011)

Discography
Albums
——1976
178—Epic1977
——1977
Sugar Loaf Express——JVC1977
Friendship——JVC1978
The Captain's Journey78—1978
Rio163—JVC1979
Feel the Night136—Elektra1979
Friendship——Elektra1979
Rit26—Elektra1981
Rit/299—Elektra1982
On the Line——Elektra Musician1983
Banded Together145—Elektra1984
Harlequin, with 192—GRP1985
——GRP1986
Portrait——GRP1987
Festival156—GRP1988
Color Rit——GRP1989
Stolen Moments——GRP1990
Collection——GRP1991
Wes Bound—19GRP1993
Larry & Lee, with —4GRP1995
Alive in L.A.—18GRP1997
This Is Love—4I.E. Music1998
Two Worlds, with ——2000
Rit's House—52002
World of Brazil——GRP2003
Overtime—242005
Smoke 'n' Mirrors—10Peak2006
Amparo, with ——Decca2008
6 String Theory——2010
Rhythm Sessions—3Concord2012
A Twist of Rit—3Concord2015
Dreamcatcher——The Players Club2020
Brasil——Candid2024

Charted singles
1981"Countdown Captain Fingers"43Dance
"Is It You"15Hot 100
1982"Cross My Heart"69
1993"Waiting in Vain" (ft. )54R&B
2007"Smoke 'n' Mirrors"27Smooth Jazz
"Forget Me Nots"14
2010"Shape of My Heart" (Lee Ritenour, & )19
"Put the Top Down" ( ft. Lee Ritenour)1
2012"Roadtrip" ( ft. Lee Ritenour)3
2013"The Village"3
"L.A. by Bike"15
2015"A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That"5

As a member
  • Fourplay (Warner Bros., 1991)
  • Between the Sheets (Warner Bros., 1993)
  • Elixir (Warner Bros., 1995)
  • Best of Fourplay (Warner Bros., 1997)

L.A. Workshop

  • Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Denon, 1988)
  • Norwegian Wood, Vol. 2 (Denon, 1994)

GRP All-Star Big Band

  • GRP All-Star Big Band (GRP, 1992)

Other credits
  • 1977 "Strawberry Letter 23" from the album Right On Time by
  • 1987 Joyride - track 6 "Midi Citi" - (En Pointe)
  • 1985 American Flyers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with Greg Mathieson - GRP

As sideman
With
  • Driftin' (A&M, 1977)
  • Words & Music (A&M, 1978)

With

  • Love Is Gonna Getcha (GRP, 1990)
  • That Secret Place (GRP, 1994)

With Carole Bayer Sager

  • Carole Bayer Sager (Elektra, 1977)
  • ...Too (Elektra, 1978)
  • Sometimes Late at Night (Boardwalk, 1981)

With

  • Give Me the Night (Warner Bros., 1980)
  • Songs and Stories (Concord, 2009)

With The Brothers Johnson

  • Look Out for #1 (A&M, 1977)
  • Right on Time (A&M, 1978)

With

  • Thankful (Capitol, 1977)
  • Stardust (Elektra, 1996)

With

  • Hard Times for Lovers (Elektra, 1979)
  • Home Again (Elektra, 1984)

With

  • Brass Fever (Impulse!, 1975)
  • Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)

With

With

  • Breakaway (Columbia, 1975)
  • Fate for Breakfast (Columbia, 1979)

With

  • Hear the Words, Feel the Feeling (Cotillion, 1976)
  • Feeling My Way (Atlantic, 1978)

With

  • Promised Love (Curb, 1975)
  • This Night Won't Last Forever (Warner Bros., 1978)

With Melissa Manchester

  • Don't Cry Out Loud (Arista, 1978)
  • Mathematics (MCA, 1985)

With

  • There's Music in the Air (A&M, 1976)
  • Letta (A&M, 1978)

With

With

  • Endless Flight (Chrysalis, 1976)
  • Thunder in My Heart (Chrysalis, 1977)

With

  • All You Need Is the Music (Elektra, 1978)
  • In the Pocket (Elektra, 1980)

With

With

  • Lazy Afternoon (Columbia, 1975)
  • Songbird (Columbia, 1978)
  • Guilty (Columbia, 1980) – rec. 1979–1980

With others

External links

: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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