Music career[edit]

Honored by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for innovative and unique contributions to American music,^[13] Ralph is completely self-taught^[14] and does not read or write a single note of music.^[1] He is the founder of production company The Rumor Mill. His songs have been featured in commercial advertisements for Porsche, Nike, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Chrysler.^[1]


Ralph has recorded two CDs, The Illusionary Movements of Geraldine and Nazu (2005) and Music to Mauzner By (1999), the latter under the moniker "Spy".^[15][16] He has also written for live performance, with 2008's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Ellie and Mr. Greene" performed by the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus.^[17]


Described by The Hollywood Reporter as the "go-to producer of documentary film scores",^[18] and by Indiewire as “Perhaps the best documentary composer working today”,^[19] Mr. Ralph has helped create some of the most influential documentaries of all time, revealing critically important social issues and culturally defining artists that “along with his partnering filmmakers and musicians, have spurned governments to act and introduced or amplified for millions of people, concerns that have might otherwise fallen under the radar” said the Smithsonian’s Dr. John Troutman, curator of Culture and Arts for the Smithsonian National Museum Of American History.^[20] Over the last decade, Ralph has written and produced the music for eight Oscar-winning/nominated documentary feature films including Man on Wire (2009),^[21] The Cove (2010),^[22] Hell and Back Again (2012),^[23] Chasing Ice (2013),^[18][24] Finding Vivian Maier (2015), Virunga (2015), Racing Extinction (2016) and "Jim: The James Foley Story (2017)".^[25] “Like no other American composer before him, J. Ralph has created in very short order, a stunningly unique body of philanthropically minded musical works” continued Dr. Troutman of the Smithsonian.^[20]


For his contribution to Chasing Ice, Ralph received an Oscar nomination for his song "Before My Time", performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell. He received his second Oscar nomination for his song "Manta Ray" co-written and performed by Anohni. For his contribution to Jim: The James Foley Story, Ralph received his third Oscar nomination for "The Empty Chair", which he co-wrote and performed with Sting.


Ralph is the first composer in the history of the Oscars to have received multiple nominations for Best Original song that originated from documentaries.^[26] Additionally, Ralph is the first composer in Academy Award's history to write and produce the original music for multiple Oscar-nominated documentary films in the same year and the first composer to have back to back nominations for best song in a documentary.^[27]


On February 22, 2014, Ralph and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra in Colorado performed several of his works. including "Before My Time", which Ralph sang.^[28]


On August 1, 2015, Ralph created the music for the Projecting Change art installation event on the Empire State Building in New York City to raise awareness for species extinction. The songs included "One Candle", written and performed by Ralph and Sia, and "Manta Ray" performed by Ralph and Anohni.^[29]


For Virunga, Ralph wrote and produced the song "We Will Not Go", performed by Youssou Ndour, Salif Keita, and Fally Ipupa. Ralph recorded this song in Bambara, Lingala, Wolof, French and English.^[5]


Ralph was commissioned by Discovery Channel to write an original symphonic piece for Shark Week 2015 called "Theodora". The object was to raise awareness and money for species extinction, oceanic preservation, and sharks. Featuring violinist Joshua Bell, the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices, the piece was recorded at Abbey Road studios in London.^[30]


On January 5, 2016 it was announced that Ralph and Sting had written "The Empty Chair".^[31]