# Amos Lee
**Amos Lee** (born 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; also known as Ryan Anthony Massaro) is an American singer-songwriter whose music blends soul, folk, blues, and '70s-style R&B, delivered with a laid-back vocal style and acoustic guitar[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499). He broke through as an opening act for [Norah Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/norah-jones) in 2004, released six albums on [Blue Note Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/blue-note-records) beginning with his self-titled 2005 debut, and reached number one on the Billboard 200 with 2011's *Mission Bell*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977, Philadelphia, PA; also known as Ryan Anthony Massaro[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) |
| Breakthrough | Invited by Norah Jones to open her 2004 tour after she heard his five-song EP at the Blue Note office[2](https://news.pollstar.com/2008/09/26/hotstar-amos-lee/) |
| Debut album | *Amos Lee* (Blue Note, 2005), produced by Jones's bassist Lee Alexander; reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) |
| Highest charting | *Mission Bell* (2011) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) |
| Labels | Blue Note Records (2005–2016), then Dualtone Records from 2018[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/amos-lee-my-new-moon/) |
| Latest album | *Transmissions* (August 9, 2024), self-produced and recorded live with his band over one week in upstate New York[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/transmissions-mw0004279574) |
## Early life and education
Lee grew up in the Philadelphia area and entered the [University of South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-south-carolina) in 1995[5](https://www.georgegraham.com/reviews/amoslee.html). He became serious about performing during his college years in the mid-1990s, and his stepfather gave him an acoustic guitar after he began spending time with friends who played music[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [2](https://news.pollstar.com/2008/09/26/hotstar-amos-lee/). He has said that listening to the [John Prine](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-prine) album *Great Days* inspired him to write songs, and he learned guitar and bass while playing in the local band Hot Lava Monster[6](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee).
After graduating with a degree in English, he returned to Philadelphia and taught elementary school, including two years teaching second grade at the Mary McLeod Bethune School in North Philadelphia[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20110327_Amos_Lee__Philadelphia_s_anonymous_hit-maker.html). He left teaching to pursue music full time, supporting himself by waiting tables and bartending while playing local clubs such as the Tin Angel in Philadelphia[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20110327_Amos_Lee__Philadelphia_s_anonymous_hit-maker.html).
## Breakthrough
Lee recorded two five-song EPs in friends' bedrooms and sent them to labels; one caught the attention of Blue Note[2](https://news.pollstar.com/2008/09/26/hotstar-amos-lee/). According to his account to Pollstar, Norah Jones heard the EP playing at the Blue Note office, attended his shows, and invited him to open her 2004 tour; she also contributed vocals and piano to two tracks on his debut[2](https://news.pollstar.com/2008/09/26/hotstar-amos-lee/). Jones's bassist, Lee Alexander, produced the album[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499).
The self-titled debut, released on Blue Note in 2005, reached number two on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and tracks including "Colors," "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight," and "Arms of a Woman" were licensed for television shows and movies[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499). Rolling Stone named Lee among its ten artists to watch for 2005[8](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/amos-lee/biography/). During this period he also opened for [Bob Dylan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-dylan), Paul Simon, Van Morrison, B.B. King, and Mose Allison[8](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/amos-lee/biography/) • [6](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee).
## The Blue Note years
Lee's second album, *Supply and Demand*, was released in October 2006 and entered the Top 100 of the Billboard 200; it featured the single "Shout Out Loud" and the songs "Sweet Pea" and "Careless"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [6](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee). *Last Days at the Lodge* followed in 2008, produced by [Don Was](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-was) and backed by musicians including guitarist Doyle Bramhall Jr., keyboardist Spooner Oldham, bassist [Pino Palladino](https://www.edgepedia.org/pino-palladino), and drummer James Gadson; it reached No. 29 on the Billboard 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [6](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee). The Washington Post's review noted that the album opened with "a burst of Dylanesque swagger" before Lee settled into soul grooves in the manner of [Al Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-green) and Bill Withers[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2008/07/11/amos-lee-last-days-at-the-lodge-blue-note/acff31e3-131a-4392-966a-7c32eaba9c38/).
**Mission Bell and commercial peak.** For his fourth album, *Mission Bell*, recorded in 2010 at Calexico's Wavelab Studio in [Tucson, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/tucson-arizona), Lee worked with members of the [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) band Calexico, with Joey Burns producing[10](https://www.mmusicmag.com/features/08/Amos-Lee-Dec-2010.pdf). He enlisted guests including [Willie Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/willie-nelson), Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, Calexico, and Lucinda Williams[11](https://www.bluenote.com/artist/amos-lee/). Released on January 25, 2011, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499). The EP *As the Crow Flies*, drawn from the *Mission Bell* sessions, followed in 2012[11](https://www.bluenote.com/artist/amos-lee/).
*Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song* (2013) was his fifth studio album on Blue Note, and the 2015 live album *Live at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony* documented an orchestral collaboration[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499) • [12](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/amos-lee/45539761). His sixth studio album, *Spirit*, was released on Blue Note in September 2016[13](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/amos-lee-spirit-2016-soul-americana-touring).
## Later work on Dualtone
*My New Moon* (2018) marked Lee's first album for the Nashville-based label Dualtone Records, after five LPs on Blue Note followed by the self-produced *Spirit*[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/amos-lee-my-new-moon/). Produced by [Tony Berg](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-berg), the album moved Lee toward an earthier, more textured sound, and Pitchfork highlighted "Whiskey on Ice," written after Lee met a couple who had lost their young son to cancer[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/amos-lee-my-new-moon/).
In the years that followed, Lee turned to his influences: *Dreamland* (2022) of original songs, *My Ideal: A Tribute to Chet Baker Sings* (2022) covering the jazz vocalist and trumpeter, and *Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams* (2023)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499). With *Transmissions*, released August 9, 2024, he returned to his own songwriting, producing the album and recording it live with his band over one week at The Building in Marlboro, New York; the album runs 51:05[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/transmissions-mw0004279574).
## Style and reception
Critics have consistently placed Lee's voice at the center of his appeal. AllMusic describes "a dusky soul voice and a knack for literate, thoughtful lyrics," and his debut drew comparisons to [Bill Withers](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-withers), James Taylor, and Arthur Lee[14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/amos-lee-mw0000261703). A 2012 Independent review of a London concert compared his voice to Bill Withers, John Fogerty, James Taylor, and [Sam Cooke](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-cooke), and noted endorsements and support slots with Adele, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and [Elvis Costello](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-costello)[15](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/amos-lee-shepherd-s-bush-empire-london-6293353.html).
Lee has cited his mother's records, including B.B. King's *Live in Cook County Jail* and Bonnie Raitt's *Takin' My Time*, as early influences, along with John Prine, Bill Withers, and Al Green's *The Belle Album*[10](https://www.mmusicmag.com/features/08/Amos-Lee-Dec-2010.pdf). He has described his favorite period in music as roughly 1970 to 1975, naming *Still Bill*, *Harvest*, John Prine's first album, and James Taylor's *One Man Dog*[16](https://www.etown.org/artists/amos-lee/).
His career has been built on touring rather than breakthrough moments: theater-size venues in major markets and smaller rooms in secondary markets, with New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Nashville his most-played cities[13](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/amos-lee-spirit-2016-soul-americana-touring) • [6](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee).
## References
1. [Amos Lee – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499)
2. [HotStar: Amos Lee, Pollstar News (2008)](https://news.pollstar.com/2008/09/26/hotstar-amos-lee/)
3. [Amos Lee: My New Moon Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/amos-lee-my-new-moon/)
4. [Amos Lee: Transmissions Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/transmissions-mw0004279574)
5. [George Graham Reviews "Amos Lee"](https://www.georgegraham.com/reviews/amoslee.html)
6. [Amos Lee – Biography and tour history, Songkick](https://songkick.com/artists/316855-amos-lee)
7. [Amos Lee: Philadelphia's anonymous hit-maker, The Philadelphia Inquirer (2011)](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20110327_Amos_Lee__Philadelphia_s_anonymous_hit-maker.html)
8. [Amos Lee – Biography, Universal Music Japan](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/amos-lee/biography/)
9. [AMOS LEE "Last Days at the Lodge" Blue Note, The Washington Post (2008)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2008/07/11/amos-lee-last-days-at-the-lodge-blue-note/acff31e3-131a-4392-966a-7c32eaba9c38/)
10. [Amos Lee Q&A, MMUSICMAG (December 2010)](https://www.mmusicmag.com/features/08/Amos-Lee-Dec-2010.pdf)
11. [Amos Lee – Biography, Blue Note Records](https://www.bluenote.com/artist/amos-lee/)
12. [Amos Lee, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/amos-lee/45539761)
13. [Amos Lee's Spirit: Soul Americana's Quiet Consistency in 2016, From The Stem](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/amos-lee-spirit-2016-soul-americana-touring)
14. [Amos Lee: Amos Lee Review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/amos-lee-mw0000261703)
15. [Amos Lee, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, The Independent (2012)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/amos-lee-shepherd-s-bush-empire-london-6293353.html)
16. [Amos Lee, eTown](https://www.etown.org/artists/amos-lee/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Blues, folk, and roots musicians › Contemporary folk singer-songwriters › Contemporary indie folk artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license