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Gary's Printable Biography
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Aficionados of the '60s pop classics have cause to rejoice
with the return of Gary Lewis & The Playboys.
Gary Lewis was about as close to being an
"overnight success" in the recording field as anyone
can get. And - just because it happens so seldom - it is always
a special thrill when show business lightning strikes twice in
the same family. The comedy antics of Jerry Lewis skyrocketed
him to fame when he was just barely out of his teens. No. 1 son
Gary had achieved comparable success in the music field... also
at a young and carefree age.
The son of a famous father - in any field
- is often faced with serious problems in finding and maintaining
his own identity. But when Gary Lewis and The Playboys auditioned
for their first job at Disneyland, no one there knew Gary was
anybody but a thin drummer. The entertainment director of the
park merely liked what he saw and heard, and hired Gary and the
boys on the spot - much to their surprise. The boys were enthusiastically
accepted by the audiences from the very first night, and as the
word spread it was not long before they were playing to a packed
house every night.
It was the summer of 1964 when Gary Lewis
and The Playboys were discovered by producer Snuff Garret. Before
long, with the producer/arranger team of Garrett and Leon Russell
behind them, they took their first single, This Diamond Ring
straight to number one. After their second hit titled Count
Me In went to number two, Gary and the band proved that they
would be a continued success. They followed with more Top 10 songs
such as Save Your Heart For Me, Everybody Loves A Clown,
She's Just My Style, Sure Gonna Miss Her, and many
more.
In 1965 Gary himself was Cash Box magazine's
"Male Vocalist of the Year", winning the honor over
other nominees Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. He was the
first and only artist during the 1960's to have his first seven
releases reach Billboard magazine's Top 10 on the Hot 100 chart.
Along with his appearances on various popular television shows
including American Bandstand, Hullabaloo, and The
Tonight Show. Gary accumulated an impressive five appearances
within two years on the Ed Sullivan Show.
With the reoccurring interest in oldies music,
Gary Lewis & The Playboys are one of the hottest acts around.
Gary Lewis, along with the Playboys, continues to tour and
entertain fans across the country and abroad.
