Gary Lewis is an American musician who was the leader of Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
Early life Gary Lewis is the son of comedian and actor
Jerry Lewis.
His mother, Patti Lewis, a singer at the time with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra, reportedly
intended to name him after her favorite actor, Cary Grant, but a clerical error led to his
naming as "Gary".
He received a set of drums as a gift for his 14th birthday in 1960.
When he was 18, Lewis formed what would become Gary Lewis & the Playboys with four other
friends.
Joking at the lateness of bandmates to practice, Lewis referred to them as "playboys", and
the name stuck.
Lewis was the drummer, but at that time singing duties were held by guitarist Dave Walker.
As the band started, Gary's mother was quietly funding the purchases of equipment, as they
believed Gary's father would not have supported the band.
This could explain why, even though he lived down the street from the Lewis family, producer
Snuff Garrett wasn't aware of Gary's band until a mutual friend, conductor Les Brown,
informed him that the band was playing at Disneyland and that Garrett should give them
a listen.
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the Lewis name, Garrett put Lewis' band into the
studio to develop, still with the finances of Lewis' mother.
Garrett pushed Lewis to improve his drumming skill, even getting Buddy Rich to tutor him,
and, more importantly, made Lewis the singer, and therefore the focal point of the group.
By Lewis' own admission, his natural singing voice was not one of his strengths, and this
led Garrett to employ vocal overdubbing tricks in the studio, to enhance it.
"This Diamond Ring", hitting number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart on February
20, 1965, made Lewis an instant star.
Lewis was Cash Box magazine's 1965 "Male Vocalist of the Year."
Besides The Lovin' Spoonful, the group was the only artist during the 1960s to have its
first seven Hot 100 releases each reach that chart's Top 10.
In addition to "This Diamond Ring" his hits include "Count Me In", "Save Your Heart for
Me", "Everybody Loves A Clown", "She's Just My Style", "Sure Gonna Miss Her", and "Green
Grass".
By 1966, Lewis had stopped drumming altogether and was exclusively singing, replaced at drums
by, among others, Jim Keltner.
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 and was stationed overseas with the Eighth Army
in Seoul, South Korea to 1968.
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.
In January 2012, Lewis released a new single, "You Can't Go Back."
Film appearances He appeared uncredited in his father's film
The Nutty Professor.
He also appeared in a credited role singing "The Land of La-la-la" with his father in
Rock-A-Bye Baby, where he played Jerry Lewis as a boy.
He also was seen in the movie The Family Jewels.
Later life Following his tour in South Korea, Lewis retired
from music, operating a music shop in San Fernando Valley in 1971, and giving drumming
lessons.
A brief attempt at starting a new band called "Medecine", with Billy Cowsill of The Cowsills
in 1974 did not go anywhere.
It was not until the 1980s when Lewis began touring again, with various incarnations of
the Playboys, generally featuring no original members.
Lewis and his family reside in Rush, New York.
In the summer of 2013 Lewis, along with a group of 1960s musicians including Gary Puckett,
Chuck Negron, Mark Lindsay, and The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie toured 47 cities in
Paradise Artist's "Happy Together" tour.
References
External links Interview at Classsicbands.com
Gary Lewis at the Internet Movie Database