Patrice Rushen

Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist, R&B singer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director.

At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, her 1982 single, "Forget Me Nots", received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while her instrumental song, "Number One" was nominated Best R&B Instrumental; both songs were from her seventh studio album, Straight from the Heart (1982).

Biography

Rushen is the elder of two daughters born to Allen and Ruth Rushen (former Director of California Department of Corrections). In her teens, she attended Locke High School and later earned a degree in music from the University of Southern California.

After winning a competition at the age of 17 that enabled her to perform with her band at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Rushen signed with the Prestige label, releasing three albums with them – Prelusion (1974), Before the Dawn (1975), and Shout It Out (1977). In 1978, when she was 23, she began recording with Elektra. in 1986. They have one son, Cameron and one daughter named Jadyn. The name of her publishing company, Baby fingers Inc., is pulled from her nickname Babyfingers for her tiny hands. In 2005, Rushen received an honorary doctorate of Music degree from Berklee College of Music. She served as chair of popular music at USC 2013-2023, and the ambassador of Artistry in Education at the Berklee College of Music. She has served as the film composer for numerous movies, television shows and documentaries. She has been a member of jazz fusion band CAB, The Meeting (GRP Records) with Ndugu Chancler, Alphonso Johnson and Ernie Watts. Rushen is also a music director, having worked on various television events as well as Janet Jackson's second concert tour Janet World Tour.

Cultural impact

Rushen's songs are sampled often in other artists' music. The chorus from "Forget Me Nots" was used as the music for the 1997 song "Men in Black". Rushen was credited as writer and composer, along with Will Smith and Terri McFadden. The same chorus can be heard in George Michael's song "Fastlove". "Forget Me Nots" previously found its way into the trampolining scene in the 1988 film Big. Her song "Haven't You Heard" was sampled in Kirk Franklin's "Looking For You" from the Norbit soundtrack. In 2021, "Forget Me Nots" was used in a dance challenge on TikTok.

Rushen was the first woman to serve as music director for the 46th, 47th, and 48th Grammy Awards. She was the only woman music director/conductor/arranger for a late-night show titled The Midnight Hour, which aired on CBS in 1990. She is a classically trained pianist and composer: her Fanfare and Fantaisie has been recorded by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Sewell.

Awards

Grammy awards

Rushen has received three Grammy nominations.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Category

! Nominated work

! Result

|rowspan=2|1983

|Best R&B Instrumental Performance

|"Number One"

|Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female

|"Forget Me Nots"

|1998

|Best Contemporary Jazz Performance

|"Signature"

Other awards

Number One Record "Feels So Real", Radio & Records (R&R) National Chart - Writers: Patrice Rushen & Fred Washington, 1984
ASCAP Songwriter's Award, 1988
USC Black Student Assembly, Legacy of Excellence Award, 1992
Crystal Award, American Women in Film, 1994
ASCAP Award, Most Performed Song in Motion Pictures for 1997 for "Men in Black," 1998
NAACP Image Award Nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Recording for “Signature”, 1998
Honorary Doctorate Berklee College of Music, 2005
The California Jazz Foundation NICA award for lifetime achievement, 2019
The Ramo Music Faculty Award, 2020
Trailblazer Award, Salute Them Awards, 2021
Hamilton Garrett Center for Music and Arts (Boston, MA), Make Them Hear You Award, 2023
Black Music Honors Lifetime Achievement Awards,2023
Roland Lifetime Achievement Award,2025
LA Jazz Society Composer/Arranger Award,2025
NEA Jazz Master, 2026

Discography

Solo albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Overview of Patrice Rushen studio albums

!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

!scope="colgroup" colspan="6"| Chart positions

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US Pop

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US R&B

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US Jazz

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US Tra. Jazz

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|AUS

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|UK

|1974

!scope="row"|Prelusion

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1975

!scope="row"|Before the Dawn

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|48

| style="text-align:center;"|14

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1977

!scope="row"|Shout It Out

| style="text-align:center;"|164

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|16

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1978

!scope="row"|Patrice

| style="text-align:center;"|98

| style="text-align:center;"|27

| style="text-align:center;"|5

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1979

!scope="row"|Pizzazz

| style="text-align:center;"|39

| style="text-align:center;"|11

| style="text-align:center;"|2

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1980

!scope="row"|Posh

| style="text-align:center;" |71

| style="text-align:center;" |23

| style="text-align:center;" |—

|1982

!scope="row"|Straight from the Heart

| style="text-align:center;"|14

| style="text-align:center;"|4

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|74

| style="text-align:center;"|24

|1984

!scope="row"|Now

| style="text-align:center;"|40

| style="text-align:center;"|7

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|7

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|73

|1987

!scope="row"|Watch Out!

| style="text-align:center;"|77

| style="text-align:center;"|19

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1994

!scope="row"|Anything but Ordinary

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|1997

!scope="row"|Signature

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|11

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|2000

!scope="row"|Jazz Straight Up

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|2006

!scope="row"|Standards

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" colspan="8"| "—" denotes the album failed to chart

Compilations and collections

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Overview of Patrice Rushen compilations

!scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year

!scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title

!scope="colgroup" colspan="1" | Chart positions

!scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US Jazz

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US R&B

!scope="row"|"Breakout!"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|46

| style="text-align:center;"|—

!scope="row"|"I Was Tired of Being Alone"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|79

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|39

!scope="row"|"Number One"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| rowspan="2"| 1984

!scope="row"|"Get Off (You Fascinate Me)"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|26

| style="text-align:center;"|40

| style="text-align:center;"|—

!scope="row"|"Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)"

| style="text-align:center;"|78

| style="text-align:center;"|3

| style="text-align:center;"|10

| style="text-align:center;"|51

| rowspan="3"| 1987

!scope="row"|"Watch Out"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|9

| style="text-align:center;"|22

| style="text-align:center;"|78

!scope="row"|"Anything Can Happen"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|51

| style="text-align:center;"|—

!scope="row"|"Come Back to Me"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|65

| style="text-align:center;"|37

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| 1994

!scope="row"|"I Do"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| 2004

!scope="row"|"Forget Me Nots / Number One"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;"|90

| style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" colspan="7"|"—" denotes the single failed to chart

Appearances

With Mike Clark

Mike Clark (Blueprints of Jazz Vol1, 2008)

With CAB

CAB 4 (Favored Nations, 2003)

With Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter

Live at the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival (Liberation Entertainment, 2007)

With The Meeting

The Meeting (GRP, 1990)
Update (Hip-Bop, 1995)

With Kenny Burrell

Heritage (AudioSource, 1980)

With Herbie Hancock

Lite Me Up (Columbia, 1982)

With Eddie Henderson

Heritage (Blue Note, 1976)
Comin' Through (Capitol, 1977)

With Alphonso Johnson

Yesterday's Dreams (Epic Records, 1976)

With Sadao Watanabe

Autumn Blow (Inner City Records, 1977)

With Jean-Luc Ponty

Upon the Wings of Music (Atlantic, 1975)
Aurora (Atlantic, 1976)

With Letizia Gambi

Introducing Letizia Gambi (Via Veneto Jazz, 2012)

With Wallace Roney

A Place in Time (HighNote, 2016)

With Cindy Blackman

Another Lifetime (4Q, 2010)

With Masayoshi Takanaka

An Insatiable High (Kitty, 1977)

Filmography

American Fiction (2023)
Agents of Change (2016)
Burning Sands (2008)
For One Night (2006, TV)
Just a Dream (2002)
Our America (2002, TV)
Baby of the Family (2002)
Piano, Bass and Drums (2002 Aix Entertainment, DVD Audio)
The Killing Yard (2001, TV)
Fire & Ice (2001, TV)
Cora Unashamed (2000, TV)
Ruby Bridges (1998, TV)
America's Dream (1996, TV)
A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom (1996, TV)
The Steve Harvey Show (1996) TV series (Main Theme & 122 episodes)
The Midnight Hour (1990) TV series (unknown episodes)
Without You I'm Nothing (1990)

Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
George Michael: I'm Your Man – A South Bank Show Special (2006, TV, writer: "Fastlove")
Fahrenheit (2005, performer: "Hang It Up")
Men in Black (1997, writer: "Men In Black")
Waiting to Exhale (1995, performer: "And I Gave My Love to You")
Big (1988, writer/performer: "Forget Me Nots")
Dominick and Eugene (1988, performer: "Somewhere")
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004) Herself
VH-1 Where Are They Now? Herself (One episode, 2002)
100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock & Roll (2000), TV series, Herself
Monterey Jazz Festival: 40 Legendary Years (1998), Herself
The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime (1991) Herself
Top of the Pops, Herself (One episode, 1982)
Soul Train, Herself (One episode, 1981)
American Bandstand, Herself (One episode, 1980)

Musical directing

Television awards and specials

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006, musical director)
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005, musical director)
The 46th Annual Grammy Awards (2004, musical director)
The 10th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Smokey Robinson (2004, musical director)
The 9th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Aretha Franklin (2003, musical director)
The 8th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Stevie Wonder (2002, musical director)
People's Choice Awards (1993, musical director)
The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime (1991, musical director)

Patrice Rushen

Biography

Cultural impact

Awards

Grammy awards

Other awards

Discography

Solo albums

Compilations and collections

Appearances

Filmography

Musical directing

Television awards and specials

Television series and miniseries

Albums

Notes

References

Sources

External links