Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis: The songwriting and production duo you know, but don't
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Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on World Cafe
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Marselle Washington/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Marselle Washington/Courtesy of the artistPlaylist
- Jam & Lewis (feat. Mariah Carey), "Somewhat Loved (There You Go Breakin' My Heart)"
- Boyz II Men, "On Bended Knee"
- Jam & Lewis (feat. Boyz II Men), "The Next Best Day"
- Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, "Scream"
- The Time, "777-9311"
- The S.O.S. Band, "Just Be Good To Me"
- Janet Jackson, "What Have You Done For Me Lately?"
- Jam & Lewis (feat. The Roots, Morris Day, Jerome), "Babylove"
You might not know the names Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis right away – but you've almost definitely heard their work. The songwriting and production duo are behind a ton of R&B hits. Starting in the '80s, they co-wrote and produced Janet Jackson's 1986 breakthrough album Control, and they've had hits with Usher, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige... the list goes on and on. Oh! And before that they used to play with a little known artist named Prince. Ring a bell? Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis worked closely with Prince as members of the band The Time – until they didn't.
That story is just one of many you'll hear in this session from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Plus, we dig in to the very first album the two of them have released together under their own names, an album decades in the making: Jam & Lewis: Volume One. We kick things off with a track from that album, this song features Mariah Carey, one of the many guests featured on the record.