Ralph Johnson Colwell papers

Ralph Johnson Colwell (1937-2018) was among the musical founders of Up with People. While still teenagers the Colwell Brothers (Steve, Paul and Ralph) formed their own band and began singing, performing and writing songs. An appearance on the Tex Williams Show led to a recording contract with Columbia Records. During the 1950’s the brothers had the opportunity to travel across 60 countries. In this period they developed their ability to write and perform songs in different languages. In 1965 Ralph and Paul wrote the song “Up with People”, coining the phrase which became the corporate name for that educational program. Ralph and his brothers performed in the original Up with People cast. In 1971 Up with People named Ralph Director of Show Productions. In this capacity he directed the Super Bowl halftimes in 1976, 1980 and 1982 and produced performances in collaboration with numerous symphony orchestras in the US and Europe. Subsequently he became Director of TV and Video Productions, creating, among other things, the award winning video “A Song for China” in collaboration with KUAT. On December 12, 2018 Ralph passed away in Tucson, Arizona following a battle with cancer.