Gary Lewis, and his father, Jerry
Gary Lewis is 76 years old today.
The son of the late comedian Jerry Lewis, Lewis is the leader of Gary Lewis & the Playboys. 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 clerical error led to his naming as "Gary.”
He received a set of drums as a gift for his fourteenth birthday in 1960. When he was eighteen, Lewis formed what would become Gary Lewis & the Playboys (then known as "Gary And The Playboys") with four other friends.
Joking at the late hours the bandmates practiced, Lewis referred to them as "playboys.” The name stuck. Lewis was the drummer, but at that time singing duties were performed by the 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.
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. More importantly, he made Lewis the singer for the group.
"This Diamond Ring,” written by Al Kooper and actually recorded by Lewis and the Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles, hit #1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart on February 20, 1965.
It made Lewis an instant star. 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.
His others 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.”
Following a tour in Vietnam, Lewis retired from music, operating a music shop in San Fernando Valley in 1971. He also gave drum lessons. It was not until the 1980s when Lewis starting touring again, with various incarnations of The Playboys, generally featuring no original members. Lewis and his family reside in Honeoye Falls, New York.
Here, Gary Lewis and the Playboys perform “Count Me In” in 2011 at B.B. Kings in New York City