Kennard Ramsey
American composer, guitarist and recording artist
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Kennard Ramsey is an American composer, guitarist and recording artist. He has composed music for film and television, including Ringmaster, Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby, Hair Show, Lincoln Heights and Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain. As a recording artist, he released the album Somos through Stanley Clarke's Roxboro Entertainment Group.
- Composer
- guitarist
- recording artist
Kennard Ramsey | |
|---|---|
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1980s–present |
Career
Ramsey studied composition and arranging with composer and arranger Spud Murphy for five years.[1]
Ramsey's work as a film composer includes Ringmaster (1998), directed by Neil Abramson.[2][3] He also composed music for Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999) and Bundy (2002).[4]
In 2004, Ramsey composed the music for Hair Show, directed by Leslie Small.[5]
Ramsey has also worked in television. He contributed additional music to the animated series Waynehead, for which Stanley Clarke composed the theme and music.[6] His television work also includes the drama series Lincoln Heights, on which he composed music with Clarke.[7]
In December 2009, Kennard Ramsey was a guest instructor, teaching film music composition at the ION International Film Festival in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.[8]
In 2011, Ramsey released the jazz album Somos through Roxboro Entertainment Group, a record label founded by Clarke.[9][10] Somos was one of the label's first releases.[9] Ramsey described the album as an updated approach to the sounds associated with Verve Records and Blue Note Records.[9]
Ramsey produced and arranged Somos and played acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards and synthesizer. He was also credited as composer, lyricist and orchestrator.[10]
In 2013, Ramsey composed the original score for the concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, starring Kevin Hart and directed by Tim Story.[7] He also worked on The Heavenly Kid, Lincoln Heights and Knots Landing.[7]
Theatre
Ramsey was the composer and musical director for Jambalaya, the Musical, created by Nancy Gregory.[11] The production opened at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans in November 2016.[11]
Selected filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Heavenly Kid | Music |
| 1994 | Fortunes of War | Composer |
| 1995 | Without Air | Composer |
| 1997 | B.A.P.S. | Orchestra |
| 1998 | Ringmaster | Composer |
| 1999 | Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby | Composer |
| 1999 | Double Jeopardy | Additional music |
| 2000 | Romeo Must Die | Additional music, orchestrator |
| 2002 | Bundy | Composer |
| 2004 | Hair Show | Composer |
| 2008 | First Sunday | Orchestrator |
| 2013 | Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain | Composer |
| 2014 | Category 5 | Composer |
| 2020 | The App That Stole Christmas | Composer |
Television
| Title | Credit |
|---|---|
| Knots Landing | Music |
| Goof Troop | Music |
| Bonkers | Music |
| Waynehead | Additional music |
| Static Shock | Music |
| The X-Files | Music |
| Lincoln Heights | Composer |