Ronnell Bright was a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger born Ronnell Lovelace Bright on July 3, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. A Juilliard graduate, he built his compositional career while serving as accompanist to leading jazz vocalists, most notably Sarah Vaughan, with whom he toured beginning in 1958. His songs became vehicles for prominent singers of the album era, with Bright writing both music and lyrics. His best-known compositions include "Sweet Pumpkin," recorded by Gloria Lynne and Bill Henderson, and "Missing You," written while touring with Vaughan in Brussels and recorded on her Mercury albums. Other notable songs include "And Satisfy," recorded by Nancy Wilson and Stanley Turrentine, "Don't Call It Love," recorded by Johnny Hartman, and "I've Got To Talk To My Heart," recorded by Vaughan. Bright also worked with Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, and Lena Horne. He died on August 12, 2021.
