Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music director and vocalist. Her 1982 single, "Forget Me Nots", received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Rushen had great success on the R&B and dance charts, but "Forget Me Nots" was the only one to crack the Top 40 pop chart.
Allen Rushen, Ruth Rushen, Forget Me Nots, Haven't You Heard, Feels So Real
Awards
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for Most Performed Songs From Motion Pictures
Music Groups
CAB
Nominations
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, Forget Me Nots, Haven't You Heard, Feels So Real
Movies
Monterey Jazz Festival: 40 Legendary Years, Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women in Jazz
Currently performing with a new jazz quartet "Canela", with Abraham Laboriel, Justo Almario & Alex Acuna [May 2006]
3
Touring SE Asia and Australasia with Lee Ritenour, Will Kennedy & Melvin Davis [March 2008]
4
Performing a variety of dates on the West Coast with Lee Ritenour, Alex Acuna & Brian Bromberg [August 2007]
5
Also performs on the international jazz scene at concerts in Europe, Asia and South America.
6
Occasionally performs in a duo setting with actor/singer T C Carson
7
Performs regularly on the LA jazz scene with the jazz-fusion ensemble CAB, alongside Tony McAlpine (g), Bunny Brunel (b) & Virgil Donati (dr)
8
May 2006 - has joined forces with Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna & Justo Almario in the new jazz quarter Canela!, making their debut in Santa Monica.
9
Prince's "I Feel For You", successfully covered by Chaka Khan, was purported to be intended for Patrice as Prince had a crush on her at the time of writing!
10
Patrice works closely with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, NARAS's Grammy In The Schools program and other organizations dedicated to establishing music education for inner-city youth.
11
Is a much sought after session player who has an impressive resume, having worked with Stanley Turrentine, Jean-Luc Ponty, Donald Byrd, Lee Ritenour, Flora Purim, Hubert Laws, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Sheena Easton, Natalie Cole, Wayne Shorter, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke and many, many more.
12
Musical Director for the 46th, 47th and 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2004, 2005, 2006).
13
Awarded Honarary Doctorate of Music from Berklee for outstanding contribution to contemporary music (Sept 2005)
14
Also known for her 1982 classic R&B hit "Forget Me Nots" that Will Smith sampled for the hip-hop song Men in Black (1997), which served as that film's theme song.
She was the first woman in 43 years to serve as head composer/musical director for television's highest honor, the Emmy Awards.
17
She was the first woman to serve as musical director for the NAACP Image Awards broadcast, an honor she has held for ten consecutive years.
18
She has been the only female musical director/composer for the Peoples Choice Awards, HBO's Comic Relief, and the only female musical director-conductor-arranger for a late-night television talk show, The Midnight Hour, which aired on CBS.
19
She was also named musical director/composer for Newsweek's first American Achievements Awards, broadcast on CBS in the USA from the Kennedy Center
20
Won a solo competition at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1972.
21
Musical prodigy who was enrolled in music classes at USC by her parents at the age of three.
22
She served as the musical director for Janet Jackson's "Janet" world tour.
23
She plays a variety of musical instruments, including piano, percussion, clarinet, and flute.
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards
2006
TV Special musical director
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards
2005
TV Special musical director
The 10th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Smokey Robinson
2004
TV Movie musical director
The 46th Annual Grammy Awards
2004
TV Special musical director
The 9th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Aretha Franklin
2003
TV Special musical director
The 8th Annual Walk of Fame Honoring Stevie Wonder
2002
TV Special musical director
The Steve Harvey Show
1996-2002
TV Series musical director - 122 episodes
The 19th Annual People's Choice Awards
1993
TV Special composer: theme music
The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1992
TV Special musical director
The 43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1991
TV Special musical director / orchestrator
The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime
1991
TV Special documentary musical director
The 16th Annual People's Choice Awards
1990
TV Special composer: theme music
The Women of Brewster Place
1989
TV Series special musical consultant - 2 episodes
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
For One Night
2006
TV Movie
Baby of the Family
2002
Just a Dream
2002
The Steve Harvey Show
1997-2002
TV Series 101 episodes
Our America
2002
TV Movie
The Killing Yard
2001
TV Movie
Fire & Ice
2001
TV Movie
Cora Unashamed
2000
TV Movie
The Wonderful World of Disney
1998
TV Series 1 episode
America's Dream
1996
TV Movie
A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom
1996
TV Movie documentary
River of Steel
1994
Documentary short
The 19th Annual People's Choice Awards
1993
TV Special
The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime
1991
TV Special documentary
The Midnight Hour
1990
TV Series
Without You I'm Nothing
1990
Hollywood Shuffle
1987
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Normal Heart
2014
TV Movie performer: "Forget Me Nots" / writer: "Forget Me Nots"
Dancing with the Stars
2009
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Clubbed
2008
performer: "Forget Me Nots"
Norbit
2007
performer: "Looking for You" / writer: "Looking for You"
The South Bank Show
2006
TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
Indigo Prophecy
2005
Video Game performer: "Hang it Up"
Idol
2004
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Stars in Their Eyes
1999
TV Series writer - 3 episodes
Música sí
1998
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Brit Awards 1997
1997
TV Special writer: "Fastlove"
Men in Black
1997
writer: "Men In Black"
Waiting to Exhale
1995
performer: "And I Gave My Love To You"
Indecent Proposal
1993
producer: "The Nearness of You"
Big
1988
performer: "Forget Me Nots" - as Patricia Rushen / writer: "Forget Me Nots"
Dominick and Eugene
1988
performer: "Somewhere"
Hollywood Shuffle
1987
lyrics: "Not Just One in a Million" Bobby's Theme, "Closer to You" / music: "Not Just One in a Million" Bobby's Theme, "Closer to You" / performer: "Not Just One in a Million" Bobby's Theme, "Closer to You"
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
Unscripted
2011
TV Series
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Unsung
2016
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Girls in the Band
2011
Documentary
Herself
Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story
2011
Documentary
Herself
Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women in Jazz
2008
Documentary
Narrator
The Music Makers
2005
TV Series documentary
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
Video documentary
Herself
VH-1 Where Are They Now?
2002
TV Series documentary
Herself
100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock & Roll
2000
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
30th NAACP Image Awards
1999
TV Special
Herself
Monterey Jazz Festival: 40 Legendary Years
1998
Video documentary
Herself - Hostess
28th NAACP Image Awards
1997
TV Special
Herself
26th NAACP Image Awards
1994
TV Special
Herself
Comic Relief V
1992
TV Special
Herself
The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime
1991
TV Special documentary
Herself
The Midnight Hour
1990
TV Series
Herself (Musical Director) (1990)
Ebony/Jet Showcase
1987
TV Series
Herself
New American Bandstand 1965
1980-1984
TV Series
Herself
The 25th Annual Grammy Awards
1983
TV Special
Herself
Soul Train
1980-1982
TV Series documentary
Herself / Herself - Guest / Guest
Top of the Pops
1982
TV Series
Herself
The Mike Douglas Show
1980
TV Series
Herself - Disco Vocalist
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Greatest
2009
TV Series documentary
Herself - #86: 'Forget Me Nots'
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1998
ASCAP Award
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures
Men in Black (1997)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1998
OFTA Film Award
Online Film & Television Association
Best Music, Original Song
Men in Black (1997)
Known for movies
The Steve Harvey Show (1996-2002) as Music Department
$4 Million
