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<div align="center"><font color="#efdece" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b><font size="5"><a name="index">RAY
CHEW AND THE CREW</a></font></b></font><br>
<font color="#efdece" size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">The
baddest band in the land</font></div>
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<div align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><a href="#biography"><b>Biography
Ray Chew</b></a><b><br>
<a href="#crew"> Bio Ray Chew and The Crew</a><br>
<a href="#interview">SaveOurSoul interview</a><br>
<a href="#discography">Discography</a><br><a href="#credit">Ray Chew credits</a></b></font><br>
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<td bgcolor=#974418 align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" color=#efdece size=4><b><font size=5><a name=biography>BIOGRAPHY
RAY CHEW</a><BR>
<font size="1">Musical director, producer, writer, arranger, pianist</font></font></b></font></td>
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<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Ray
Chew has a carreer that spans over 25 year in recording, television
and live presentations. He has penned several million selling
hits with Diana Ross as well as recording 6 of her albums. Ray
also worked as a Musical director/Arranger with Ashford and Simpson
for 20 years, recording 7 of their albums including their only
live record "Performance"</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">In
television, Ray has been a staff musician with CBS, FOX and NBC
where he served as Arranger/Writer/Pianist with 'Saturday Night
Live' during the "Eddie Murphy Years". He has continued
his television career as Musical Director for "It's Showtime
At The Apollo" as well as Musical Director for the Apollo
Theatre Foundation.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Ray
Chew's album discography includes: Chaka Khan, Teddy Pendergrass,
Grover Washington JR., Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Gladys
Knight and the Pips, The Spinners, Stephanie Mills and most of
R&B's classic elite.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Ray
has also worked with today's top contemporary artists such as:
Missy Elliot, Brian McKnight, Yolanda Adams, Monica and Rakim</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Some
of his most recent work include arranging and orchestrating for
the feature film 'Baby Boi' starring Tyrese, live string arrangements
for the the Angie Stone project, 'Mahogany Soul' and live string/score
arrangements for the Will Smith movie, 'Ali'. Ray worked closely
with triple-platinum artist, Alicia Keys, on this score.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">His
company, Chew Entertainment, that he shares with his wife and
partner Vivian Scott Chew, works in artist developement and support
with J Records, Arista, Universal, MCA and Elektra</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Ray
gives to the community in a variety of ways including school programs
and working with the New York City Housing Authority for over
5 years.</font> </p>
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<div align="center"><font color="#efdece" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b><font size="5"><a name="crew">BIO
RAY CHEW AND THE CREW</a></font></b></font></div>
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<div align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b>Ray
Chew and the Crew is comprised of Ray Chew, Bobby Douglas, Ralph
Rolle, Joseph Gray and Artie Reynolds. All the members are busy
musicians individually as well as collectively. As a group, they
also perform for the live Wednesday night Apollo Amateur Nights.
They also perform as back-up band for lots of entertainers, such
as Stephanie Mills and others. </b></font></div>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Formed
in 1992, Ray Chew and the Crew was created as an extension of
their duties as the house band for The Apollo Theater in Harlem
USA. Chew, along with original band member Bobby Douglas and Ralphe
Rolle, enlisted the talents of Joseph Gray and Artie Reynolds,
thus creating "the baddest band in the land"</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Ray
Chew and the Crew have garnered a national television audience
as the house band for the syndicated television programme, "It's
Showtime at the Apollo" Whether the skeptical Apollo audience
is booing or applauding, the band can be heard alongside aspiring
contestants for "Showtime's" weekly talent competition,
"Amateur night"</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">In
addition to their duties at the Apollo, the band have pooled their
talents to creat a 12-track R&B experience through an album
named "Feelin' it" Alongside Chew's effort playing keyboards,
bass synthersizer, drums and a myriad of other instruments, the
album's musicians include 'crew' members Ralph Rolle on drums,
lead and background vocals, Artie Reynolds on bass and background
vocals, Joseph Gray, singing lead and background vocals and Bobby
Doulglas on the keyboards, lead and background vocals. With infusion
of funk and spoken word, the album boasts guest appearances from
Roy Ayers, Lekule, Sandra St. Victor and George Clinton.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">While
Chew is the band's primary producer, writer and arranger, each
Ray Chew and the Crew musician brings their own special writing,
arranging and production talents to the group. In addition to
their work with The Apollo Theater, their album project and various
community service activities, "Ray Chew and the Crew"
have backed artists ranging from Nancy Wilson, Peabo Bryson, Regina
Belle, Gerald Albright, Rakim, Kirk Whalum and Monica. They have
recently shared the concert stage with Stepahnie Mills, Brian
McKnight, Yolanda Adams and Kenny Latimore to name a few.</font></p>
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<td bgcolor=#974418 align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" color=#efdece size=4><b><font size=5><a name=interview>SAVEOURSOUL
INTERVIEW</a></font></b></font></td>
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<div align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="4"><b>SaveOurSoul
interview with Ray Chew </b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2"><br>
<i><font size="3">8 November 2002 </font></i></font></div>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2"><b>Ray
Chew:</b> Hey how you doin'?<br>
<b>SaveOurSoul:</b> Fine, how are you?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> I am doing good. I'd like to say hi to everybody out
there, to say shout outs from the USA, that we're feelin' everybody
over there and glad to know your feelin' our record.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> Listen Ray, when I read all the things you've done during
your 25 musical carreer I was very impressed. Can you mention a
few of the artists you worked with in past and present? <br>
<b>Ray:</b> Yeah, well I've worked with a lot of great artists like
Donny Hathaway and Diana Ross and Roberta Flack and Ashford &
Simpson. Also I had the pleasure of working with a lot of talented
new artists Alicia Keys and Brian McKnight, Missy Elliot and Faith
Evans and people like that. And even classical artists like Jennifer
Holiday. So I covered a lot of ground. We had a lot of great experiences.
It has been very fulfilling working on my own project.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> From the artist you worked with, which of them has made
a major impression on you and why?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> I would say Donny Hathaway made a great impression on
me because he was a pure artist, he lives just for the music and
everything he did was musicaly driven. He left a great mark on today's
music. You have a lot of new artists that are very impressed by
Donny. I am also very impressed by Alicia Keys, because she's an
artist, yes she won all the Grammy awards, that deserves everything
she gets, because she works very hard and I worked with her one
on one, so I know how hard she works. We put a lot of man hours
into just sitting on the piano, working on scales and stuff, so
I am very impressed by her. I've had a lot of time to reflect on
some of the people I worked with. Even with the record we did, with
artistry form a legend like George Clinton and I was very happy
to be in the room with him much less to have him play on the record,
that was a lot of fun.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> How and when did it all begin with your own group Ray
Chew and The Crew?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> It began with us working at the Apollo Theatre, we had
a chance to we were doing the TV show Showtime at the Apollo and
as the house band we come together and worked for about 10 years,
and then we decided we had something musicaly to say to eachother
so.. that's how it started.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> Feelin' it is your new album. How would you describe
the music on it?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> I would describe it as classic R&B, soul and we've
got a little funk on it. I'd say classic R&B is where it's at.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> What do you want to achieve with this album?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> What I'd like to do, I'd like to be able to touch as
many people that really looking for that message, classic R&B
thing. Then I'd like to tour the world with our project and come
around and come to places like your town and see the people, doing
an European tour, so everybody can see Ray Chew and The Crew.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> You've been in the Netherlands before?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> Oh yeah, I toured the world with a lot of acts and we've
been in the Netherlands a lot.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> You mentioned George Clinton earlier, but also Sandra
St. Victor is a major artist working on your album, isn't she?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> Oh, she's great! She came in and I had an idea for the
song and I laid out the track and I gave her the track and then
the next week she called me back and said: "Ray I've got something
great" and we got together and we put donw that song and it
was called "Smoke" And she just did her thing, I love
Sandra.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> What is your favorite song on the album Ray?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> I don't know if I have a favorite cause they are all
my little babies, you know. I have songs that cuts me at different
parts of the day. And then sometimes I have to put on a cut called
"Praise", and I don't try to get religious to anybody,
but I like to have a spiritual connection between me, my music and
my maker. At different part of the day I just like to pray say thank
you and praise, and that's not to say that I'm trying to be a gospel
artist or anything but I do make a point of doing that. "Smoke"
is one of my favorite cuts and so is the song featuring George Clinton
"Booty Juize"<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> Where are you now?<br>
<b>Ray:</b> I am on my way, we're doing an Apollo tour right now,
were touring the country doing a version of amateur night all over
the place with the whole Apollo crew. So we took everybody from
the Apollo and we put them on the plane and got'em on the bus. Right
now I am on the bus in California on our way to do a show, and so
were having fun. We have a comedian with us. Also we are doing some
shows. We also perform with classic artist Stephanie Mills. We're
working with her.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> If I come to NY I will see you at the Apollo theatre
in Harlem, that is if you haven't been to Europe first.<br>
<b>Ray:</b> They are planning on bringing us over to Europe. And
ofcourse we have to stop in the Netherlands. If we come over to
your part of the world than I have to make sure I find Sandra St.
Victor and we do a show in the Netherlands, Ray Chew and the Crew
featuring Sandra St. Victor.<br>
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<b>Sos:</b> Thank you very much<br>
<b>Ray:</b> Thank you and you all take care.<br>
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<font size="1"><i>Copyright © 2002, SaveOurSoul</i></font></font></p>
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<div align="center"><font color="#efdece" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b><font size="5"><a name="discography">DISCOGRAPHY</a></font></b></font></div>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="4" color="#974418">ALBUMS</font></b></td>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Feelin'
it</font></td>
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<div align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">2002</font></div>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Blue
Crystal (Ray Chew)</font></td>
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<div align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">1996</font></div>
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