David Ritz

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For the corporate CEO, see Ritz Camera Centers.

David Ritz (born c. 1942) is an American author, most of whose books are biographies of soul music and R&B legends such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye. On four occasions, his co-authored autobiographies of musicians (for books with Jerry Wexler, The Neville Brothers, B.B. King and Etta James) have been awarded the Ralph J. Gleason Award. ^[1] He is also a novelist (Blue Notes Under a Green Felt Hat, The Man Who Brought the Dodgers Back to Brooklyn).^[1]

Ritz is probably most notable for his work with Marvin Gaye. The two first met in 1978 shortly after the release of Gaye's tormented Here, My Dear album. Ritz had publicly defended Gaye's album as a body of work after a Los Angeles Times critic had panned the album (it wasn't a commercial success either).

Ritz began giving out interviews with Gaye as part of an autobiography Gaye was working on. Those interviews became the basis to Ritz's most successful book, Divided Soul: The Life & Times of Marvin Gaye, which Ritz released in 1985, a year after Gaye was killed by his father. Marvin was in Belgium when he came up with the bass line for a song he had in his head. David Ritz had travel to Belgium with Marvin after,convincing him more about his autobiography. Marvin had travel to Europe to get away for personal reasons.he had only taken a few with him. We were over Sweetzies' apartment, myself, Prince Ali,and Imani Tanksley. Michelle, was Princes' fiance who also was the clothing designer for the dancers. Prince was one of the dancers in the show,he had also become very well loved by the family. Gordon, Prince and Michelle all came from Norfolk,Va. Gordon who was now engaged to Sweetzie, Marvins' youngest sister had set up a make shift studio in the closet.It was there where the bass line for "Sexual Healing" was made.When Marvin called Gordon and told him to play this bass line,Gordon stayed up all night putting down the guitar chords and the arraignments. Marvin ask David Ritz, what does it sound like to you? David said "Sounds like some sexual healing to me, never once was there any mention of credits to anyone about the song at that time.I know for a fact,my cousin was the drummer and band leader at that time, Bugsy Wilcox.I was a singer and one of Marvins' personal bodyguards. David had been looking at Marvins' extensive porn collection and when Marvin ask him what does the music sound like once again he replied,sounds like "sexual healing" to me!!!

Ritz has also taken part in several other albums by other artists, most notably Janet Jackson on her 2004 album Damita Jo, on the interludes "Looking for Love" and "The One". Ritz also wrote an essay for Jackson on her 1995 greatest hits compilation Design of a Decade 1986/1996. He has also written liner notes and has done essays on Marvin Gaye albums after they were re-released.

Ritz wrote the liner notes on Linda Ronstadt's 2002 compilation The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt.

His latest work is titled Rickles' Book, a memoir that Don Rickles has released with the help of Ritz.

As of 2008^[update], Ritz is working on books with Leiber & Stoller, Scott Weiland, Cornel West, Janet Jackson and David Letterman's longtime band leader Paul Shaffer.^[1]