Berklee Today: Lee Alexander '93

This alumnus bassist's first songwriting forays ended up on Norah Jones's first album.
June 1, 2007

Just six years ago, bassist Lee Alexander was a scuffling jazz musician living in San Francisco, uncertain about his future. "My mom would send me $20 now and then to keep me in ramen noodles," he recalls. "She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to do this."

It's funny how things change. Since leaving the Bay Area and moving to New York in 1999, Alexander has experienced a complete reversal of fortune. He became a key player in the phenomenal success of his girlfriend, Norah Jones, and received songwriting credits on four cuts on her blockbuster debut album, Come Away With Me; six on Feels Like Home; and seven on her new disc, Not Too Late. Thus far, Jones's catalog has sold more than 32 million units and netted a slew of Grammys. The single "Sunrise," which Alexander wrote, won Jones a 2004 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Now that Alexander is Jones's cowriter, producer, and a member of her touring band, if he's eating ramen noodles, it's probably because he likes the taste.

Read more about Lee Alexander '93 in Berklee Today.