Lyle Ritz began his music career as a college student working at the Southern California Music Company in Los Angeles, CA. Responsible for the small goods department, he demonstrated instruments including the ukulele, which was being popularized by Arthur Godfrey at the time. He purchased a Gibson tenor ukulele for his own use. Drafted into the US Army during the Korean War, Ritz played tuba in the United States Army Band. Stationed at Fort Ord, Ritz learned to play the acoustic bass. While on leave, Ritz visited the Music Company and played a few tunes on the ukulele at the urging of his colleagues. Unbeknownst to him, Guitarist Barney Kessel, a talent scout for Verve Records, was standing there.
After hearing Ritz play, Kessel approached him and made the connection that resulted in his first commercial records.
Verve released Ritz's first ukulele record, How About Uke?, in 1957. 50th State Jazz was released in 1959. Both records became very popular in Hawaii and started a wave of new ukulele players. However, the records had only limited popularity on the mainland.
To support himself, Ritz abandoned the ukulele and became a session musician on the bass guitar. He joined the Wrecking Crew, a popular group of studio musicians in the Los Angeles recording industry. Ritz compiled over 5,000 credits including such notable tracks as Herb Alpert's "Taste of Honey", The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations". Other notable recording artists he backed up include Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Herb Ohta, Dean Martin, and Linda Ronstadt. He also played bass on television soundtracks including The Rockford Files, Name That Tune, and Kojak.
In 1979 Ritz was hired to play the ukulele in place of Steve Martin when Martin was shown playing in The Jerk. In 1980, Ritz was a musician playing bass on Face the Music a game show centered on musical puzzles.
Roy Sakuma, a fellow ukulele player and record producer, looked up Ritz in 1985 and brought him to Hawaii for the Annual Ukulele Festival. Ritz had no idea how popular his Verve records still were in Hawaii, but he participated at the festival during the next three years. In 1988 he decided it was time to retire from the circuit, but he continued to play; his third album, Time, was released by Roy Sakuma Records the same year. In 1999, Jim Beloff, founder of Flea Market Music, put together the annual UKEtopia concert in California. Among the notable events was Bill Tapia and Ritz trading jazz licks in an impromptu cutting contest.
In 2005, Ritz purchased an Apple laptop and a copy of GarageBand, software used to make home recordings. After a half year's work, he completed a new solo album, No Frills, released in 2006. He recorded the bass track using a synthesizer so he could concentrate on the jazz ukulele. Ritz was inducted to the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2007. His citation reads in part: "Ritz will always be known as the brilliant pioneer in the area of ukulele jazz."
Discography
1957 How About Uke? - Verve Records
1959 50th State Jazz - Universal Distribution
1998 Time - MVM
2001 Ukulele Duo - JVC Victor
2004 How About Uke? (Re-Release) -Verve Records
2005 A Night of Ukulele Jazz Live at McCabe's - Flea Market Music
2006 No Frills - Flea Market Music
2007 I Wish You Love - CD Baby / PDX Uke
2007 Becky & Lyle Bossa Style - CD Baby
Emily
Lyle Ritz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has the murmuring sound of may
All silver bells, coral shells, carousels
And the laughter of children at play
Say Emily, Emily, Emily
And we fade to a marvelous view
Two lovers alone and out of sight
As my eyes visualize a family
They see Emily, Emily
(and we fade to a marvelous view)
Two lovers alone and out of sight
Seeing images in the firelight
As my eyes visualize a family
They see Emily, Emily
Too
Lyle Ritz's "Emily" is a beautiful and poetic song about a woman named Emily who has a soothing effect like the murmuring sound of May. This song first talks about the various things that bring joy and happiness into our lives such as silver bells, coral shells and children laughing while they play. These are little things that we tend to overlook, but they make all the difference in the world. When we say the name Emily, it's like we are transported into a different world where lovers are alone and out of sight. They see images in the firelight, which is a romantic and nostalgic imagery. The lyrics are powerful, creating a vivid and emotional scene that takes us into a world where everything is beautiful and peaceful.
The second half of the song is equally powerful as Ritz talks about how his eyes visualize a family, and they see Emily. Emily becomes a symbol of hope and a dream, representing a life full of love, happiness, and family. The use of repetition in the song's lyrics adds to the emotions conveyed, emphasizing the importance of Emily in the singer's life, and how important it is to treasure the little things. In conclusion, the song is an ode to the beauty of life and the power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Emily, Emily, Emily
Repeating Emily's name to express admiration and affection for her
Has the murmuring sound of may
Emily's name has a soft and delicate quality like the gentle whisper of the spring season
All silver bells, coral shells, carousels
Emily embodies beauty and wonder with these charming and magical objects that are commonly associated with joyful experiences
And the laughter of children at play
Emily represents happiness and joy as the sound of children laughing and playing
Say Emily, Emily, Emily
Repeating Emily's name to convey a sense of awe and wonder
And we fade to a marvelous view
Invoking the image of a beautiful and magical scene as Emily's name is spoken
Two lovers alone and out of sight
Imagining a romantic setting with only two people intimately entwined
Seeing images in the firelight
Creating a cozy and warm atmosphere where images are visualized in the flickering flames
As my eyes visualize a family
Reflecting on the idea of family and envisioning the presence of loved ones
They see Emily, Emily
Seeing Emily as a symbol of love and happiness within the family
Too
Concluding the song with a simple and loving affirmation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ricky Ross, Scott Fraser, Pete Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind