“Groove (Ain’t No Doubt About It)” is a track from Lyle’s third album New Warrior, released on Capitol Records in 1978. It was written by Lyle, Mason and trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, who also produced the album. The players on the track were Bobby Lyle (keyboards, vocals), Harvey Mason (drums), David T. Walker (guitar), Nathaniel Phillips (bass) and Paulinho da Costa (percussion).
Lyle was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 11, 1944. His family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota when he was a year old. He grew up in a musical household, and at the age of six, he began taking piano lessons from his mother, who was a church organist. In middle school, he was playing clarinet and flute for the school band but eventually returned to piano. Lyle’s early musical influences were jazz pianists Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal. He began playing jazz by ear while a student at Central High School in Minneapolis. He landed his first gig at 16. After graduating from Central High, Lyle attended Macalester College in St. Paul where he studied piano under pianist and composer Professor Donald Betts.
After two years at Macalester, Lyle became a full-time musician in 1964. He played locally in Minneapolis for six years and then toured for two years with soul-jazz ensemble Young-Holt Unlimited. In 1970, Lyle met and had a subsequent jam session with Jimi Hendrix, who wanted to form a jazz-rock band with Lyle, bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Bill Lordan. Unfortunately, that band never happened due to Hendrix’s untimely death later that year. Lyle moved to Los Angeles in 1974 where he got a job touring with Sly & the Family Stone. He also gigged with the Ronnie Laws Band during this period. This led to a meeting with Wayne Henderson, who was a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders. Henderson took Lyle’s demo to Larkin Arnold, Vice President of A&R at Capitol Records. This landed Lyle a record deal with the label, which resulted in three albums: The Genie, New Warrior and Night Fire. Capitol eventually scrapped its jazz division, leaving Lye without a record deal.
As a result, he went back to doing session work for other artists. He played on recordings by notable artists such as George Benson, Phylliss Hyman and Esther Philips. He toured with Benson in the early ‘80s and was a guest artist on jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets’ 1981 debut album. Throughout the ‘80s, he served as musical director for the tours of Anita Baker, Al Jarreau and Bette Midler.
During a 1987 performance with saxophonist Gerald Albright, Lyle’s talents caught the attention of Sylvia Rhone, who was VP of Jazz and Urban music at Atlantic Records at the time. This led to him signing a record deal with the label in 1988. This deal resulted in six albums in nine years. His 1990 album, The Journey, topped the Billboard Jazz Chart. He also continued to tour during this period, with his own bands as well as with Bette Midler. He received an Emmy nomination for his musical direction on Midler’s HBO special Diva Las Vegas (1997).
Lyle is the only artist to have an album, Straight and Smooth (2004), that simultaneously appeared on both Billboard’ smooth jazz chart and Billboard’s traditional jazz chart.
In 2013, the musician launched his own label, New Warrior Music, in conjunction with his Genie Productions company. On the label he produced and released a tribute album to his Hammond B-3 idol Jimmy Smith, who revolutionized the role of organ in jazz music by fusing elements of blues, bebop and gospel. The title of the album is The Way I Feel (2013).
In 2014, Lyle and smooth jazz radio personality Guy Michaels launched Houston’s first-ever TV jazz show. It’s called The J-Spot, and it’s taped before a live audience. It serves as a showcase for a host of great musical talent in the Houston area. Lyle is a permanent host for the show and an occasional performer.
Lyle has recently been focusing on providing music education to young people. He has been working as a jazz piano and practitioner of master classes in high schools and colleges. Walker Elementary School in Houston has established a “Bobby Lyle Music Scholarship Fund.” Lyle encourages students to write essays explaining why they want to study music. The scholarship recipients are selected based on the best essays, meaning those that show a genuine passion for music as well as a financial need. Those selected will receive enough money to pay for an instrument as well as receive private musical instruction.
In 2020, Lyle was inducted into the Black Music Awards Hall of Fame in Houston, Texas. The musician is a pivotal figure in Houston’s music scene as both a performer and educator. He released his most recent album, Ivory Flow, in 2021 on his label New Warrior Music. He also tours frequently.
