Gary Lewis (born Gary Harold Lee Levitch; July 31, 1945[1][2][3][4][5]) is an American musician who was the leader of Gary Lewis & the Playboys.[6]
Gary Lewis | |
|---|---|
 Lewis in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gary Harold Lee Levitch |
| Born | July 31, 1945 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Website | garylewisandtheplayboys |
Early life
editGary Lewis is the son of Jerry Lewis[7] and singer Patti Palmer.[8] His mother, who was performing at the time with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra,[9] intended to name him after her favorite actor, Cary Grant, but her son became "Gary" as the result of a clerical error.[10][7] He received a set of drums as a gift for his 15th birthday in 1960.[10] When he was 18, Lewis formed the band "Gary and the Playboys" with four friends.[10] Joking at the lateness of bandmates to practice, Lewis referred to them as "playboys", and the name stuck.[11]
Lewis was the drummer, and Dave Walker was the singer and guitarist.[10] Gary's mother was quietly funding the purchases of equipment as they believed Gary's father would not support the band financially.[11] Without the Lewis cachet, the band was relatively anonymous. Even though he lived down the street from the Lewis family, producer Snuff Garrett was not aware of the band until a mutual friend, conductor Les Brown, informed him that the group was appearing at Disneyland and that Garrett should give them a listen.[10]
Lewis was drafted into the United States Army. During his two years of service, he spent two months at the Saigon Airport during the Vietnam War, and the remainder of the time in South Korea.[12]
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
editSeeing an opportunity to capitalize on the Lewis name,[10] Garrett put the band into the studio to develop,[6] still financed by Gary's mother.[10] Garrett pushed Lewis to improve his drumming skill, even getting Buddy Rich to tutor him,[6] and, more importantly, made Lewis the singer and therefore the focal point of the group.[10] By Lewis' own admission, his natural singing voice was not one of his strengths,[11] and Garrett employed overdubbing techniques in the studio to enhance it. "This Diamond Ring" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 20, 1965,[13] making Lewis an instant star. Besides The Lovin' Spoonful, the group was the only act during the 1960s to have its first seven Hot 100 releases each reach that chart's top 10.[10]
In addition to "This Diamond Ring", his hits include "Count Me In," the only non-British Commonwealth record in the Hot 100's top 10 on May 8, 1965,[14] (number two); "Save Your Heart for Me" (number two); "Everybody Loves a Clown" (number four); "She's Just My Style" (number three); "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (number nine); and "Green Grass" (number eight). Of "Everybody Loves a Clown", Lewis says he composed the song as a gift for his father's birthday. He believed the song was too good, so instead of giving it as a gift, he recorded it.[15] By 1966, Lewis was exclusively singing, replaced on the drums by, among others, Jim Keltner.[6] His career was put on hold when he entered the U.S. Army as a draftee in January 1967, and he served during the Vietnam War era with the Eighth Army in Seoul, South Korea, until 1968.[10] Lewis released a solo album in 1967 for Liberty Records called Listen!.[16]
Lewis has stated that he was reluctant to go to Vietnam, but he credits the Army with being the time when he "grew up".[15] He returned to performing and recording, but did not recapture his earlier success and five releases by the band that year peaked from 13th to 39th. His musical career was later marketed as a "nostalgia act" with appearances on his father's Labor Day telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, including the 2010 telethon which was his dad's final as host. In January 2012, Lewis released a new single, "You Can't Go Back".
Lewis began touring again in the 1980s, with various incarnations of the Playboys, generally featuring no other original members.[11] One of the tours was scheduled to last nine months.[17]
In the summer of 2013, Lewis, along with a group of 1960s musicians including Gary Puckett (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap), Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders), and The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, toured 47 cities in Paradise Artist's "Happy Together" tour. As of 2022, Gary Lewis and the Playboys are still touring the world on their own and occasionally with other popular acts of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. The group performs on cruise ships, at casinos, festivals, fairs, and corporate events.
Film appearances
editHe appeared uncredited in his father's movie The Nutty Professor (1963).[18] He also appeared in a credited role singing "The Land of La-la-la" with his dad in Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958), where he played Jerry Lewis as a boy.[19] He also was seen in the movie The Family Jewels (1965).
Personal life
editIn 1971, Lewis took a break from performing, operating a music shop in the San Fernando Valley and giving drumming lessons.[11] A brief attempt at starting a new band called Medecine, with Bill Cowsill of the Cowsills in 1974, was not successful.[10] In 2009, on the nationally syndicated program Inside Edition, Gary met his half-sister Suzan Kleinman, who had learned from DNA testing results that they are related siblings, the children of comedy star Jerry Lewis.[20] Lewis and his family reside in Rush, New York.[21]
Discography
editSingles
edit| A-side | B-side | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "This Diamond Ring" | "Hard to Find" (later replaced with "Tijuana Wedding")
(both are non-LP tracks) |
1965 |
| "Count Me In" | "Little Miss Go-Go" | |
| "Doin' the Flake" | "This Diamond Ring" / "Little Miss Go-Go" | |
| "Save Your Heart for Me" | "Without a Word of Warning" | |
| "Everybody Loves a Clown" | "Time Stands Still" | |
| "She's Just My Style" | "I Won't Make That Mistake Again" | |
| "Sure Gonna Miss Her" | "I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight" (non-LP track) | 1966 |
| "Green Grass" | "I Can Read Between the Lines" | |
| "My Heart's Symphony" | "Tina (I Held You in My Arms)" | |
| "(You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture" | "Looking For the Stars" | |
| "Where Will the Words Come From" | "May the Best Man Win" | |
| "Way Way Out"
(Way...Way Out Promo Release) |
1967 | |
| "The Loser (with a Broken Heart)" | "Ice Melts in the Sun" | |
| "Girls in Love" | "Let's Be More Than Friends" | |
| "Jill" | "New in Town" | |
| "Has She Got The Nicest Eyes" | "Happiness" | |
| "Sealed with a Kiss" | "Sara Jane" | 1968 |
| "Main Street" | "C.C. Rider" | |
| "Rhythm of the Rain" | "Mister Memory" | 1969 |
| "Hayride" | "Gary's Groove" | |
| "I Saw Elvis Presley Last Night" | "Something is Wrong" | |
| "I'm on the Right Road Now" | "Great Balls of Fire" | 1970 |
| "Then Again Maybe"
(Gary Lewis solo) |
"Peace of Mind" | 1972 |
| "One Good Woman"
(Gary Lewis solo) |
"Ooh Baby" | 1975 |
Albums
edit| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1965 | This Diamond Ring |
| A Session with Gary Lewis and the Playboys | |
| Everybody Loves a Clown | |
| She's Just My Style | |
| 1966 | Hits Again |
| (You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture | |
| 1967 | New Directions |
| Listen! | |
| Gary Lewis & The Playboys | |
| 1968 | Gary Lewis Now! |
| 1969 | Rhythm of the Rain/Hayride |
| Close Cover Before Playing | |
| Rhythm! | |
| I'm on the Right Road Now |
Solo
editSingles
edit| A-side | B-side | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Then Again Maybe"
(Gary Lewis solo) |
"Peace of Mind" | 1972 |
| "One Good Woman"
(Gary Lewis solo) |
"Ooh Baby" | 1975 |
References
edit- ^ Kehr, Dave (August 20, 2017). "Jerry Lewis, Mercurial Comedian and Filmmaker, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
Three months later they were married, and on July 31, 1945, while Patti was living with Jerry's parents in Newark and he was performing at a Baltimore nightclub, she gave birth to the first of the couple's six sons, Gary, who in the 1960s had a series of hit records with his band Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
- ^ Shelley, Michael (October 23, 2018). "Gary Lewis, 'Jerry's Kid,' Runs for His Life". PleaseKillMe.com.
- ^ Malamut, Joseph L. (1957). Southwest Jewry - Volume 3. Sunland Publishing Company. p. 80.
- ^ Hoenig, Leopold (1999). Four Families. University of Wisconsin. p. 20.
- ^ Levy, Shawn (1996). King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis. St. Martin's Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-3121-3248-4.
- ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "Gary Lewis Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Vogel, Michelle (2005). Children of Hollywood. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2046-9.
- ^ Lewis, Jerry; Gluck, Herb (1982). Jerry Lewis In Person. New York: Athenum. ISBN 978-0-6891-1290-4.
- ^ Kamm, Herbert (January 9, 1957). "It's Quits For Martin And Lewis - Article 3" (PDF). Schenectady Gazette. United Feature Syndicate. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Gary Lewis and the Playboys". Classic Bands. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e James, Gary. "Interview With Gary Lewis". Classic Bands. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (June 14, 1985). "Lewis: He's Not in the Army Now". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "Hot 100: Week of February 20, 1965". Billboard. September 12, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ "Hot 100: Week of May 08, 1965". Billboard. September 12, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Violanti, Tony (July 15, 2016). "Gary Lewis admits to identity crisis because of his famous father". Villages-News.com. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ^ "Gary Lewis – Listen! (2010, CD)". Discogs. October 16, 2023.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (June 14, 1985). "Lewis: He's Not in the Army Now". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ The Nutty Professor (1963 film) at IMDb
- ^ Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958 film) at IMDb
- ^ "Inside Edition... Jerry Lewis' Daughter?". Camaro Forums at Z28.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Good News: Gary Lewis gives back to his adopted home". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.[dead link]
External links
edit- Gary Lewis discography at Discogs
- Gary Lewis at IMDb