Lyle Joseph Ritz (January 10, 1930 – March 3, 2017) was an American musician, known for his work on ukulele and bass (both double bass and bass guitar). His early career in jazz as a ukulele player made him a key part of the Hawaii music scene in the 1950s. By the 1960s, he had begun working as a session musician, more often on double bass or electric bass guitar. His prominence in the Los Angeles session scene made him a part of the Wrecking Crew, an informal group of well-used Los Angeles–based musicians. Ritz contributed to many American pop hits from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. Starting in the mid-1980s, a rediscovery of his earlier ukulele work led to him becoming a fixture in live festivals, and a revival of his interest in playing the ukulele. He was inducted into both the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.
Lyle Ritz began his music career as a college student working at the Southern California Music Company in Los Angeles. Responsible for the small goods department, he demonstrated instruments including the ukulele, which was being popularized by Arthur Godfrey at the time.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
After hearing Ritz play, Kessel approached him and made the connection that resulted in his first commercial records.[4]
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.[5] However, the records had only limited popularity on the mainland.
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.[6]
Roy Sakuma, a fellow ukulele player and record producer, looked up Ritz in 1984 and brought him to Hawaii for the Annual Ukulele Festival.[7] Ritz had no idea how popular his Verve records still were in Hawaii, but he participated in 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 were Bill Tapia and Ritz trading jazz licks in an impromptu cutting contest.[5]
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.[8] Ritz was inducted into 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."[9]
