Amos Lee

Amos Lee's smoky voice has many fans among his contemporaries, including Adele, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, and Paul Simon. Born Ryan Massaro in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 20, 1977, he studied English to become a teacher and also worked as a bartender before throwing himself into a career in music, inspired by a broad array of music from jazz, rock, country, folk and blues. Starting off performing at open mic sessions, he got gigs opening for blues legends B.B King and Mose Allison and was subsequently discovered by Norah Jones, who invited him on tour. Jones's bass player Lee Alexander produced Amos Lee’s 2005 self-titled debut album which was widely praised by critics and fans alike. The success of the album ultimately resulted in the track “Colors” being featured in the TV series Grey's Anatomy and the movie Just Like Heaven. Acquiring a reputation, his mix of light jazz, folk and blues garnered more following on his second album Supply & Demand (2006), which featured the minor hit “Shout Out Loud.” He went on to open for Bruce Springsteen and played at a rally for Barack Obama, but it was his fourth album, Mission Bell (2011) – released on the Blue Note Records label - that established him as a major artist. With Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams among the guest artists, a hit single - “Windows Are Rolled Down” - and soothing songs full of stark beauty, the album topped the Billboard Chart. He went on to star at the 2013 Farm Aid concert, play on a John Denver tribute album, record with Alison Krauss and Patty Griffin on the 2013 album Mountains of Sorrow, River of Song and perform with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on his album Live at Red Rocks. In 2016, he left Blue Note to sign with John Varvatos Records and self-produced the album Spirit, which included the hit single “Vaporize.” The album, with its mix of R&B, pop, and folk, proved to be another big seller. He followed this up with My New Moon, his seventh album, in 2018. After a four-year break, Amos Lee returned with the album Dreamland in 2022, which included the single “Worry No More.”