David Eugene Lewis (1938 – March 13, 1998) was an American rock and rhythm & blues (R&B) keyboardist, organist, and vocalist based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington, US.

Peter Blecha Peter Charles Blecha is an American historian, curator, essayist, author, musician, and director of the Seattle-based Northwest Music Archives. He is primarily known for research related to aspects of Pacific Northwest musical history. In additio ...

accounts his Dave Lewis Combo as "Seattle's first significant African American 1950s rock and roll band"

, "Dave Lewis", ''Seattle Metropolitan'', December 2008, p. 74. and Lewis himself as "the singularly most significant figure on the Pacific Northwest's nascent rhythm & blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s."

Lewis, Dave (1938–1998): Father of Northwest Rock
HistoryLink, July 22, 2008. Accessed online February 20, 2009.

Life and early career

The Texas-born Lewis came to the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

with his family during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. There was music in his background: his father, David Lewis Sr., was an accomplished amateur guitarist, and his mother Bertha Lewis was similarly talented on piano. The family moved first to seek work in the navy town of

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

, across

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

from Seattle, where they settled in the segregated Sinclair Heights housing projects. One of their neighbors was the young

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, who took some music lessons from David Sr. The Lewis and Jones families both eventually moved to Seattle, where they lived about five blocks apart from one another in the Central District, the center of African-American life in Seattle at the time. His father worked as a fabricator at

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

and also pulled shifts in a barber shop. Lewis tried both guitar and piano, but definitely gravitated toward the latter, especially after hearing

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, who was launching his performing career in Seattle in the late 1940s. Lewis's first performing group was a doo-wop vocal group called the Five Checks, formed to enter a talent show held at Edmond Meany Jr. High School (now Edmond S. Meany Middle School). They went on to perform at schools around Seattle, often for audiences who had never heard anything of the sort, at least not in live performance. As a student at Seattle's Garfield High School Lewis formed the combo that would bring him to local prominence. George Griffin from his doo-wop group played drums; Barney Hilliard and J. B. Allen both played saxophone; Jack Grey played upright bass, and Al Aquino rounded out the group on guitar. Starting off at teenage

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American J ...

s and house parties, they soon graduated to being an opening act for touring R&B acts when they played Seattle's downtown Palomar Theater (then at the corner of Third and University, now replaced by a multi-story parking garage). The Dave Lewis Combo opened for, among others

Sugar Pie DeSanto Sugar Pie DeSanto (born Peylia Marsema Balinton, October 16, 1935) is an American R&B singer and dancer, whose career in music flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life DeSanto was born to an African-American mother, who was a concert pianis ...

, Sugar Chile Robinson,

Nellie Lutcher Nellie Rose Lutcher (October 15, 1912 – June 8, 2007) was an American R&B and jazz singer and pianist, who gained prominence in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Lutcher was most recognizable for her diction and exaggerated pronunciation a ...

, and

Wild Bill Davis Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with t ...

. In the summer of 1956, Lewis still had one more year to complete at Seattle's Franklin High School, but his combo was the hottest item in the region. They toured the Pacific Northwest as the opening act for a leg of a Bill Haley & His Comets tour. This led to similar opportunities with

, Little Richard,

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

, Roy Orbison, and

Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps ''Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps'' is an album by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps. It was originally released in 1957 in music, 1957, four months after its predecessor, ''Bluejean Bop!''. It was released on the Capitol Records, Capitol label. I ...

. In summer 1957, Lewis and his combo settled in for a long tenure as the house band at the leading Seattle R&B club, Birdland (22nd and Madison), where they popularized the song

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and ...

, which would become strongly associated with the region. By this time, Al Aquino and Jack Grey had left the band, replaced by Bud Brown on guitar and Chuck Whittaker on electric bass (replacing Grey's upright acoustic). On several occasions the teenaged Jimi Hendrix—then "Jimmy" Hendrix—sat in on jam sessions there, but Lewis's audience found him undanceable. Later members of the Combo were Jerry Allen (guitar) and Carlos Ward (saxophone).

Role in desegregation

Lewis's broad popularity played a significant role in the

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

of the Seattle music scene. At the time Lewis began his professional career, Seattle still had two musician's

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

locals, AFM No. 76 for whites and AFM No. 493 for blacks. Lewis's combo became the first African-American band to play frequently on traditionally white turf, including downtown clubs,

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

fraternities A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity ...

, and even suburban venues. When Local 76 complained about Lewis getting a gig at the popular Parker's Ballroom on Aurora Avenue, owner Dick Parker told them that if they made him choose between booking Lewis's combo and being able to book Local 76 bands, he'd choose Lewis. On January 14, 1958, the two Seattle locals merged.

1960s success

In 1962, taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the

Century 21 Exposition The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington, United States.world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

), Lewis put together a new band. J. B. Allen remained from the old group; the new band members were guitarist Jim Manolides and drummer Don "Candido" Mallory. The new group took over from Manolides' old group the Frantics as the house band at Dave's Fifth Avenue near the fairgrounds. Shortly after the end of the fair, Lewis switched from piano to

Hammond B-3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...

, and formed a new trio with guitarist Joe Johansen and drummer Dickey Enfield (who would be replaced in 1966 by Dean Hodges). His new trio scored minor hits with "David's Mood (Part 2)" (1963) and "Little Green Thing" (1964), both of which were heavily covered by other Pacific Northwest bands. By the mid-1960s, though, Lewis pretty much gave up touring, settling instead into a long series of local club gigs that lasted into the early 1970s.

Declining years

Although Lewis in his years of success was not known to be a drug user "beyond an occasional reefer," he was busted for drug possession in 1975, receiving probation. He attempted a comeback in the 1980s with the Paramount Orchestra, an attempt at a house band for Seattle's landmark Paramount Theatre, where his brother Ulysses Lewis was one of the partners in the management firm at the time. The "grandiose" project was not notably successful. Furthermore, Lewis got into increasingly serious drug problems, leading him to get involved with a drugstore robbery, for which he was convicted and served two years in prison. Lewis did some performing in his later years, including playing in a 1987 Northwest Rock reunion concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum, and was inducted into the Northwest Area Music Association's Hall of Fame in 1989. Lewis died of cancer March 13, 1998. Some of his recordings were finally reissued in CD form in 2006.

Discography

Singles

* "Barney's Tune" / "

How Deep Is The Ocean How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...

" (Northgate 1002, 1959) * "Candido" / (R .C.) "Untwistin"' (Seafair 105, 1961) * "David's Mood – Part 2" / "David's Mood – Part 3" ( Jerden 711, 1963) * "David's Mood – Part 2" / "David's Mood – Part 3" ( A&M 724, 1963) * "Lip Service" / "Little Green Thing" (A&M 735, 1964) * "Swim Thing" / "Mr. Clyde" (A&M 749, 1964) * " Honky-Tonk – Part 1" / " Lonely Bull" (A&M 756, 1964) * "

House of the Rising Sun A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

" / "Three Dots" (A&M 765, 1965) * "Feel Alright" / "Givin' Gas" (A&M 772, 1965) * "Trees" / "Dave's Fifth Avenue" (Jerden 785, 1966) * "

Searchin' "Searchin'" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller specifically for the Coasters. Atco Records released it as a single in March 1957, which topped the R&B Chart for twelve weeks. It also reached number three on the ''Billboard'' sing ...

" / "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" (Panorama 51, 1966) * "Searchin'" / "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" (Piccadilly 230, 1966) * "MMM-MMM-MMM" / "

Hold On, I'm Comin' ''Hold On, I'm Comin is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966. The album reached number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B Albums chart and number 45 on the ''Billboa ...

" (Piccadilly 235, 1967) * " Hi Heel Sneakers" / " Jack Daniel's Green" (Panorama 1003, 1968) * "Lip Service" / "Little Green Thing" (A&M 1068, 1969)

EP

* ''Givin' Gas'' (Pye International NEP.44057, 1964), UK release.

Albums

* ''Little Green Thing'' LP (A&M LP 105/SP 4105, 1964) * ''Dave Lewis Plays

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

'' LP (Jerden 7006, 1966) * ''High Heel Sneakers'' LP (Panorama 107S, 1967)

Reissues and compilations

* ''Los Organ'' LP (Piccadilly PIC-3355, 1980) * ''MMM-MMM-MMM.'' LP (First American FA-7799, 1980) * ''The Godfather of Northwest Rock & the King of Seattle R & B'' CD (Jerden JRCD 7026, 2006)

Other appearances

*''Bolo Bash'' (Bolo BLP 8002, 1964) – "Candido", "Untwistin'" *''Original Great Northwest Hits Vol. 1'' (Jerden JRL/JRS 7001, 1964) – "David's Mood, Pt. 2" *''Original Great Northwest Hits Vol. 2'' (Jerden JRL/JRS 7002, 1964) – "Little Green Thing", "Lip Service" ;Discography Notes

References

External links

''Seattle Times'' obituary March 16, 1998HistoryLink.org page on Dave LewisDave Lewis A&M singles discography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Dave 1938 births 1998 deaths American rock keyboardists American rhythm and blues keyboardists American rock singers Garfield High School (Seattle) alumni Singers from Seattle Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni 20th-century African-American male singers