Gary Lewis and the Playboys 1965/1975 Pop Rock Band

Gary Lewis and the Playboys

Gary Lewis & the Playboys è stato un gruppo musicale pop rock statunitense formatosi negli anni sessanta, guidato da Gary Lewis, figlio dell'attore comico Jerry Lewis. Il gruppo è conosciuto principalmente per il singolo da primo posto in classifica del 1965 This Diamond Ring. L'immagine della band era quella dei "bravi ragazzi della porta accanto" simile a quella di contemporanei gruppi della British invasion come Herman's Hermits e Gerry and the Pacemakers. Il gruppo originale si sciolse nel 1970, ma una successiva versione della band continuò a fare concerti, spesso per organizzazioni benefiche di reduci.

Storia

La band nacque con il nome "Gary & the Playboys". Gary Lewis creò il gruppo insieme a quattro amici quando aveva diciotto anni.
La band fece un'audizione per lavorare come gruppo musicale a Disneyland, senza menzionare il fatto che Gary fosse il figlio del celebre Jerry Lewis. Ottennero il lavoro, e il gruppo iniziò ad esibirsi ogni sera per i visitatori di Disneyland.
Il direttore d'orchestra Les Brown, amico di Jerry Lewis da anni, segnalò la band al produttore discografico Snuff Garrett. Dopo aver assistito ad un loro concerto, Garrett consigliò di inserire anche il cognome "Lewis" nel nome della band in modo da sfruttare la celebre parentela per vendere più dischi.
Garrett portò il gruppo in studio di registrazione per incidere la canzone This Diamond Ring in una sessione finanziata dalla moglie di Jerry Lewis, Patti. Volendo andare sul sicuro, Garrett scritturò degli esperti session men per effettuare delle sovraincisioni sul pezzo, inclusi gli assoli di chitarra e di tastiera, una supplementare linea di basso e percussioni aggiuntive.
I session men che parteciparono alla seduta furono: Mike Deasy e Tommy Allsup alle chitarre, Leon Russell alla tastiera, Joe Osborn al basso, e Hal Blaine alla batteria. Il cantante Ron Hicklin incise la traccia vocale base. Quindi, Garrett aggiunse la voce di Lewis per due volte, e alcuni strumenti suonati dai Playboys.
Per promuovere il singolo, Garrett contattò vari disc jockey di New York, come "Murray the K" Kaufman, e Jerry Lewis ricorse alle sue conoscenze nell'ambiente dello show business per far apparire il gruppo del figlio al prestigioso Ed Sullivan Show. Tuttavia, Sullivan voleva che tutti gli artisti che si esibivano nel suo programma suonassero rigorosamente dal vivo. Dato che molti dei trucchi da studio di registrazione impiegati nel brano non erano riproducibili dal vivo, si raggiunse un compromesso: Lewis cantò dal vivo sopra una base pre-registrata mentre gli altri membri della band fecero solo finta di suonare i rispettivi strumenti.
L'apparizione della band allo show del gennaio 1965 rese istantaneamente Gary Lewis and the Playboys delle star in America. This Diamond Ring raggiunse il primo posto nella classifica Billboard Hot 200, vendendo oltre un milione di copie, e diventando disco d'oro. Forte del riscontro ottenuto, la band fece un cameo in una scena del film I 7 magnifici Jerry (1965), diretto da Lewis padre: è il gruppo musicale che canta la canzone This Diamond Ring stipato nel bagno di un aeroplano. Però, alla fine del 1965 solamente West e Lewis erano ancora in formazione nella band. Gli altri membri originali erano stati rimpiazzati velocemente da Tommy Tripplehorn (padre dell'attrice Jeanne Tripplehorn), Carl Radle, Jimmy Karstein, Randy Ruff, Pete Vrains, Bob Simpson, Adolph Zeugner, Les John, Wayne Bruno, e Dave Gonzalez.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys furono uno degli unici due gruppi musicali degli anni sessanta i cui primi sette 45 giri entrarono tutti nella Top 10 della Billboard Hot 100 (i The Lovin' Spoonful furono l'altro).
Nel gennaio 1967 Lewis fu arruolato nell'esercito statunitense. Quando venne congedato nel 1968, il momento d'oro del gruppo era ormai passato e il successo iniziò a scemare. Lewis continuò a portare in giro per gli Stati Uniti il gruppo in vari tour del Paese, partecipando anche a molte edizioni del programma Labor Day Telethon presentate dal padre.
Nonostante il grande successo riscosso dal gruppo in patria, fuori dagli Stati Uniti Gary Lewis & the Playboys non ebbero mai alcuna notorietà di rilievo.

Trade ad for Gary Lewis & the Playboys' single "This Diamond Ring". To better adapt it to his respective Wikipedia article, the ad was cropped and cleaned in a graphics editing program. The original can be viewed at the source below.

Liberty Records - Billboard, page 13, 19 December 1964

Gary Lewis & the Playboys were an American 1960s era pop and rock group, fronted by musician Gary Lewis, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "This Diamond Ring", which was the first of a string of hit singles they had in 1965 and 1966. The band had an earnest, boy-next-door image similar to British invasion contemporaries such as Herman's Hermits and Gerry and the Pacemakers. The group folded in 1970, but a version of the band later resumed touring and continues to tour, often playing for veterans' benefits.

1960s fame

The group began life as Gary & the Playboys. Gary Lewis started the band with four friends of his when he was 18. Joking at the lateness of his bandmates to practice, Lewis referred to them as "playboys", and the name stuck.
They auditioned for a job at Disneyland, without telling Disneyland employees about Lewis' celebrity father. They were hired on the spot, audiences at Disneyland quickly accepted them, and the Playboys were soon playing to a full house every night.
The orchestra bandleader Les Brown, who had known Jerry Lewis for years, had told record producer Snuff Garrett that the younger Lewis was playing at Disneyland. After listening to the band, Garrett thought using Gary's famous name might sell more records, and convinced them to add "Lewis" into their name.
Garrett brought them to a recording studio with the song "This Diamond Ring" in a session financed by Jerry Lewis' wife Patti. It has been reported that The Playboys were not allowed to play their own instruments in the studio, but Lewis has since denied this. Garrett wanted to maximize the chances for a hit, so he insisted on using experienced session musicians for the overdubs, which included guitar and keyboard solos, additional bass and drum overdubs, and timpani.
These musicians included Mike Deasy and Tommy Allsup on guitars, Leon Russell on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums, members of the larger group known as The Wrecking Crew. Session singer Ron Hicklin did the basic vocal track. Garrett then added Lewis’s voice twice, added some of the Playboys and more of Hicklin. "When I got through, he sounded like Mario Lanza", Garrett commented.
Garrett got airplay in New York City for "This Diamond Ring" by making a deal with WINS disc jockey "Murray the K" Kaufman, who ran a series of all-star concerts at theaters around the New York area, promising that if he played Lewis’ record, the Playboys would do his shows. Garrett then had Jerry Lewis use his contacts to get his son onto The Ed Sullivan Show.
However, Sullivan had a general policy that all acts appearing on his show were to perform live. Since so many studio tricks had been used on the record, the Playboys could not recreate its sound. In compromise, Lewis sang along with pre-recorded tracks as the Playboys pretended to play their instruments.
The January 1965 broadcast made Gary Lewis and the Playboys instant stars. "This Diamond Ring" went to No. 1, sold over one million copies by April 1965, and became a gold disc. However, by the end of 1965 only West and Lewis remained in the band. Other later band members included Tommy Tripplehorn (father of actress Jeanne Tripplehorn), Carl Radle (died 1980), Jimmy Karstein, Randy Ruff, Pete Vrains, Bob Simpson, Adolph Zeugner, Les John, Wayne Bruno, and Dave Gonzalez.
The group was one of only two acts during the 1960s whose first seven releases on the Billboard Hot 100 reached that chart's top 10 (The Lovin' Spoonful was the other). The singles were "This Diamond Ring" (No. 1), "Count Me In" (the only non-British Commonwealth record in the Hot 100's Top 10 on May 8, 1965, at No. 2), "Save Your Heart for Me" (No. 2), "Everybody Loves a Clown" (No. 4), "She's Just My Style" (No. 3), "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (No. 9), and "Green Grass" (No. 8). Lewis was drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1967, with previously made recordings continuing to reach the Hot 100 but with decreasing success.
On his 1968 discharge Lewis immediately returned to recording, reaching the top 40 one last time with a top 20 remake of Brian Hyland's "Sealed With A Kiss", but unable to regain his group's earlier momentum. Lewis continued touring, eventually marketing the band as a nostalgia act. He also appeared and performed on many of his father's Labor Day telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
In all, Lewis had eight gold singles, twelve Top 40 hit singles (but only fifteen Hot 100 entries (U.S.)), and four gold albums. In addition to The Ed Sullivan Show, he appeared on American Bandstand, Shindig!, Hullabaloo, The Sally Jessy Raphaël show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show, Nashville Now and Wolfman Jack. Despite the group's US success, they made virtually no impact at all in the UK; their only UK Singles Chart appearance occurred in 1975, when a reissue of 1966's "My Heart's Symphony" peaked at No. 36. Nevertheless, at a time when British groups were dominating the American music scene, Gary Lewis & the Playboys was one of the few successful 1960s homegrown groups.

Original members

• Gary Lewis - drums and vocals (b. July 31, 1946)
• David Walker - rhythm guitar (b. May 12, 1943)
• Allan Ramsay - bass (b. July 27, 1943, d. November 27, 1985; aged 42)
• David Costell - lead guitar (b. March 15, 1945)
• John West - organ and Cordovox (electronic accordion) (b. July 31, 1939)

Discography

Singles

Albums

Compilation albums

Year	Single	Chart Positions				Catalogue	B-side (Featured on same album as A-side except where indicated)	Album
		US	AC	AU	UK
1965	"This Diamond Ring"	1	-	6	-	Liberty 55756	"Hard to Find" (later replaced with "Tijuana Wedding") (Both are non-LP tracks)	This Diamond Ring
	"Count Me In"	2	-	49	-	Liberty 55778	"Little Miss Go-Go"	A Session with Gary Lewis and the Playboys
	"Doin' the Flake" (Kellogg's Corn Flakes Promo Release)	-	-	-	-	Liberty 65-227	"This Diamond Ring" / "Little Miss Go-Go" (from This Diamond Ring and A Session with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, respectively)	Non-LP track
	"Save Your Heart for Me"	2	1	60	-	Liberty 55809	"Without a Word of Warning"	A Session with Gary Lewis and the Playboys
	"Everybody Loves a Clown"	4	-	62	-	Liberty 55818	"Time Stands Still"	Everybody Loves a Clown
	"She's Just My Style"	3	-	53	-	Liberty 55846	"I Won't Make That Mistake Again"	She's Just My Style
1966	"Sure Gonna Miss Her"	9	-	72	-	Liberty 55865	"I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight" (Non-LP track)	Hits Again
	"Green Grass"	8	-	64	-	Liberty 55880	"I Can Read Between the Lines"
	"My Heart's Symphony"	13	-	98	36	Liberty 55898	"Tina (I Held You in My Arms)"	(You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture
	"(You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture"	15	-	58	-	Liberty 55914	"Looking For the Stars"
	"Where Will the Words Come From"	21	-	99	-	Liberty 55933	"May the Best Man Win" (from Gary Lewis and The Playboys)
1967	"Way Way Out" (Way...Way Out Promo Release)	-	-	-	-	Liberty (no #)		Non-LP track
	"The Loser (with a Broken Heart)"	43	-	98	-	Liberty 55949	"Ice Melts in the Sun" (#121 BB)	More Golden Greats
	"Girls in Love"	39	-	-	-	Liberty 55971	"Let's Be More Than Friends"	New Directions
	"Jill"	52	-	-	-	Liberty 55985	"New in Town" (from New Directions)	Listen!
	"Has She Got The Nicest Eyes"	-	-	-	-	Liberty 56011	"Happiness"	Rhythm!
1968	"Sealed with a Kiss"	19	32	74	-	Liberty 56037	"Sara Jane"	Gary Lewis Now!
	"Main Street"	101	-	-	-	Liberty 56075	"C.C. Rider"	Close Cover Before Playing
1969	"Rhythm of the Rain"	63	-	-	-	Liberty 56093	"Mister Memory" (from Close Cover Before Playing)	Rhythm of the Rain/Hayride
	"Hayride"	-	-	-	-	Liberty 56121	"Gary's Groove" (Non-LP track)
	"I Saw Elvis Presley Last Night"	-	-	-	-	Liberty 56144	"Something is Wrong"	I'm on the Right Road Now
1970	"I'm on the Right Road Now"	-	-	-	-	Liberty 56158	"Great Balls of Fire"
1972	"Then Again Maybe" (Gary Lewis Solo)	-	-	-	-	Scepter 12359	"Peace of Mind"	Non-LP tracks
1975	"One Good Woman" (Gary Lewis Solo)	-	-	-	-	Epic 50068	"Ooh Baby"
Year	Album	Billboard 200	Record Label
1965	This Diamond Ring	26	Liberty Records
	A Session with Gary Lewis and the Playboys	18
	Everybody Loves a Clown	44
	She's Just My Style	71
1966	Hits Again	47
	(You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture	79
1967	New Directions	185
	Listen!	–
	Gary Lewis & The Playboys	-	Sunset Records
1968	Gary Lewis Now!	150	Liberty Records
1969	Rhythm of the Rain/Hayride	–
	Close Cover Before Playing	–
	Rhythm!	–	Sunset Records
	I'm on the Right Road Now	-	Liberty Records
Year	Album	Billboard 200	Record Label
1966	Golden Greats	10	Liberty Records
1968	More Golden Greats	–
1975	The Very Best of Gary Lewis and the Playboys	–	United Artists Records

 

 

Gary Lewis and the Playboys ~ This Diamond Ring (1965) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCTvU7e5Jog

Lyrics

Who wants to buy this diamond ring?
She took it off her finger, now it doesn't mean a thing
This diamond ring doesn't shine for me anymore
And this diamond ring doesn't mean what it meant before
So if you've got someone whose love is true
Let it shine for you

This stone is genuine like love should be
And if your baby's truer than my baby was to me
This diamond ring can mean something beautiful
And this diamond ring can mean dreams that are coming true
And then your heart won't have to break like mine did
If there's love behind it

This diamond ring can mean something beautiful
And this diamond ring can mean dreams that are coming true
And then your heart won't have to break like mine did
If there's love behind it

This diamond ring doesn't shine for me anymore
And this diamond ring doesn't mean what it meant before

So then your heart won't have to break like mine did
If there's love behind it

Songwriters: Al Kooper / Bob Brass / Irwin Levine

This Diamond Ring lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

 

 

GARY LEWIS AND THE PLAYBOYS COUNT ME IN - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MehUrUuTHg

 

 

 

Gary Lewis & The Playboys She's Just My Style - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vufLgvf19kw

 

 

 

Gary Lewis & The Playboys - Everybody Loves A Clown (+ little girl's ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzUbr66ehnc

 

 

 

Lyrics

Everybody Loves A Clown
Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Written by Gary Lewis, Snuff Garrett, and Leon Russell

Peak chart position # 4 in 1965
Everybody loves a clown, so why don't you?
Everybody laughs at the things I say and do
They all laugh when they see me comin'
But you don't laugh, you just go home runnin'
Everybody loves a clown, so why can't you?
A clown has feelings, too

I joke around at a party when you are there
But you don't laugh, you don't look, you just don't care
If you wonder why this clown is cryin'
Look a little closer, inside I'm dyin'
It's not easy to be in love, you see
When you're a clown like me'

I don't know how to say that I love you
'cause you would smile and say "Tell a joke or two"
Yes, I'm a clown but I don't want to be
Why can'tcha see the other side of me?
Guess I'll be the guy who plays the part
Of a clown with a broken heart

Dreamin' of your love and not knowing where to start
Dreamin' of your love and not knowin' where to start
FADE
Dreamin' of your love and not knowin' where to start

Songwriters: Gary Lewis / Leon Russell / Thomas Lesslie

Everybody Loves a Clown lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

 

Save Your Heart for Me - Gary Lewis & the Playboys - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6N80zTBmtE

 

 

 

Lyrics

Walk along the lake with someone new
Have yourself a summer fling or two
But remember I'm in love with you and
Save your heart for me

When the summer moon is on the rise
And you're dancin' under starlit skies
Please don't let stars get in your eyes, just
Save your heart for me

When you're all alone, far away from home
Someone's gonna flirt with you
I won't think it's wrong if you play along
Just don't fall for someone new

When the autumn winds begin to blow
And the summertime is long ago
You'll be in my arms again I know, so
Save your heart for me
Darlin', save your heart for me

Please remember I'm in love with you so
Save your heart for me
Darlin', save your heart for me

Songwriters: Gary Geld / Peter Udell

Save Your Heart for Me lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, Carlin America Inc