They sealed the deal with a handshake. No contract, no lawyers. A 50-50 split on finances and credits, no matter who contributed what. That's one of the secrets to the partnership of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Equal partners.
It's Jam and Lewis. Like Lennon and McCartney. Goffin and King. Bacharach and David. Except Jam and Lewis aren't just songwriters, they're producers, too. Unlike those aforementioned songwriting pairs, they never broke up and never had a falling out in their 40-year Hall of Fame career.
"We never had an argument because an argument was one person wins, one person loses," Jam says. "I never want to see my partner lose at anything. So, we have disagreements, but a disagreement is something you solve."
Having covered Jam and Lewis for more than four decades, I have a few notions about what makes them tick — besides their agreement without a contract.
They are partners who share the work. In the recording studio, Lewis typically handles lyrics and vocals.
"I call him the vocal master," says Jam, who specializes in melodies and recording the tracks. Sometimes it's vice versa. Sometimes they're in the same room, sometimes not. "We do what we need to do," Jam says. "Sometimes I take out the trash, sometimes he takes out the trash."
They know their strengths and when to leave well enough alone.
In 2001, for example, they were invited to contribute to emerging star Pink's second album. Jam recalled: "We said, 'You don't need us to add anything. Your album is really good.' " They urged her record label to release it as is, and "Missundaztood" became a huge hit.
