Nat Lee (May 25, 1954 – January 14, 2024) – Sexy Lady (1982)

The unsung keyboardist and songwriter co-wrote and produced this superb boogie funk bomb for Gary Toms Empire.

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Nat Lee was an unsung funk keyboardist, songwriter and producer.

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Nathaniel “Nat” Bess Lee studied music starting at a young age and formed his first band before he was a teenager. He had several bands in high school, and got a degree in music education from Virginia State University.

After college, he played keyboards for local groups like Oneness of Juju and the Southern Energy Ensemble. He then worked as a keyboardist for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and later Teddy Pendergrass. For Evelyn “Champagne” King’s third solo album Call On Me (1980), Lee co-wrote its funky title track with the LP’s co-producer T. Life and his son, T. Life III.

The following year, Lee, Life, and George Tindley co-wrote Life’s all-time greatest boogie disco-funk record, “Somethin’ That You Do To Me (Keeps Turning Me On).” It was the title track to Life’s second solo album, which Lee played keyboards on.

Lee and Life also co-wrote several of the album’s other songs. Another highlight was the stellar funk jam “Let Him Go,” which they co-wrote with Hassan Ali and Kwame Hadi, the latter who played trumpet with Sun Ra's Arkestra from 1968-74.

In 1982, Lee co-wrote and produced another boogie funk classic, this time for the Gary Toms Empire. The phenomenal jam “Sexy Lady” was co-written and co-arranged by Gary Toms.

Sadly, Lee passed earlier this year after an extended illness, gone too soon at age 69.

Happy 70th Heavenly Birthday to Nat Lee.

Further info:

“Friends and loved ones to pay tribute to prominent musician Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Lee,” Richmond Free Press, February 1, 2024.

#soul #funk #boogie #disco #TLife #NatLee