J. Ralph is well know for his scores to the back to back Academy Award winning documentaries The Cove (about the dolphin captures in Japan) & Man On Wire (Philippe Petit's 1974 illegal tight rope walk between the TwinTowers), the music for Jean Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child which he did along with Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond of The Beastie Boys, & the score for Marilyn Minter's instillation Green Pink Caviar on exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and featured in the Destricted film series along with Matthew Barney, Richard Prince, Gaspar Noe, Larry Clark, & Cecily Brown.
His latest release is the score and soundtrack for autism documentary Wretches & Jabberers by Academy Award winning director Gerardine Wurzburg. Recorded in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, & London, J. Ralph wrote/co-wrote and produced 20 original songs featuring collaborations with Antony, Devendra Banhart, Paul Brady, Bonnie Bramlett, Vashti Bunyan, Martin Carthy, Judy Collins, Lila Downs, Vincent Gallo, David Garza, Ben Harper, Scarlett Johannson, Nic Jones, Norah Jones, Leah Siegel, Carly Simon, Stephen Stills, Ben Taylor, & Bob Weir. "The reasons Why" which he also performed for the film's end title was short listed for the 2011 Oscars Best Original Song.
J. Ralph has no formal training and does not read or write a single note of music. A self-taught composer, singer, songwriter and producer from New York City, his professional career began at 22 with the signing to the prestigious Atlantic Records by label president Jason Flom in what was one of the biggest record deals ever granted to a new artist. J. Ralph's debut album Music To Mauzner By took over a year to record virtually by himself and was released on February 23rd 1999 under the nome de plume, SPY. A musical Rorschach test, it was sonic blender of rock, folk, hip-hop, mariachi, electronic, blue eyed soul, funk, an classical. Notable music critic Charles M. Young proclaimed the album "truly an important debut."
Drawing no distinction between genre, medium, art or commerce, J. Ralph is the founder and creative director of scoring collective, The Rumor Mill. The production company creates scores, songs and musical identities for films, artists, and brands. Internationally recognized, they have won every industry award and their music has been featured in the biggest television advertising events in the world including The Olympics, The Academy Awards, The Super Bowl, The Grammys, The Emmys, and The World Series.
J. Ralph is the only recipient ever to receive two consecutive AICP awards and his work is included in the NYC's Museum Of Modern Art permanent collection of film and media.
