Margaret Ann Lewis (later Margaret Lewis "Maggie" Warwick; April 30, 1939 – March 29, 2019) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

singer-songwriter and music entrepreneur.

Biography

Born Margaret Ann Lewis in Snyder, Texas, she moved with her family early in life to Levelland, Texas, where she grew up singing in the Baptist church choir and listening to

and rhythm & blues. In high school she formed a band, the Thunderbolts, and they took second place in a talent show in

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

in 1957. After some guest appearances on the

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the ...

radio program, she joined the cast in 1958. In Shreveport where the show was based she met Mira Ann Smith (1926–1989), a local guitarist and aspiring songwriter who had her own record label,

Ram Records RAM Records is an independent record label established in 1992 by Andy C with the help of his friend Ant Miles. It specialises in drum and bass. The label and business is run by Andy C and business partner Scott Bourne (Red One). Ram Records ...

. Through Smith, Lewis and her sister Rose went on to tour with local artist

Dale Hawkins Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins (August 22, 1936 – February 13, 2010) was a pioneer American rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who was often called the architect of swamp rock boogie. Ronnie Hawkins was his cousin. Biography He bega ...

and sang backup vocals on some of his Chess Records recordings. Lewis continued to record on Smith's Ram Records for several years, until the label was closed down in the early 1960s. Lewis and Smith then decided to concentrate on songwriting, and their first big success was "Mountain of Love", a country hit for David Houston in 1963. Lewis and Smith moved to Nashville and signed a deal with

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. and ...

to write songs for his SSS International and

Plantation Records Plantation Records was a country music record label of the 1960s and 1970s helmed by Shelby Singleton. The label is best known for Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit "Harper Valley PTA", which topped both the country and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts. ...

labels. They wrote a number of hits for various artists from 1967 to 1971, perhaps the best known being " Reconsider Me", which has charted for at least four different artists. Lewis continued to record at times, and she had her only chart appearance as a singer with "Honey (I Miss You Too)" (1968), which peaked at No. 74 on the country charts. It was an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer so ...

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

's "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

". In 1981 Lewis returned to Shreveport and married Alton Warwick, a cousin of Mira Smith. In the late 1980s she became active in efforts to revive the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, where the Hayride had performed until its end in 1960. She formed a nonprofit organization to support the effort in 1997. She also became the chairperson of the Louisiana Music Commission, an effort by the Louisiana state government to promote the music industry in the state. In 1998 she released an album titled ''"...but I know what I like"'' on her own Ram Records, under the byline ''Maggie Lewis Warwick & The Thunderbolts!''. Two of Lewis' songs were used in the episode '' Lassoed'' of

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...

. In 2009, Lewis received the OffBeat magazine award for Lifetime Achievement in the Music Business. Lewis died age 79 in Shreveport on March 29, 2019, from complications of pneumonia.

Songwriting hits

All of these are credited to Margaret Lewis and Mira (or "Myra") Smith. *"La-Do-Dada" – w/

, Rock, 1958 *"Mountain of Love" – David Houston, No. 2 Country, 1963 *"I Almost Called Your Name" – Margaret Whiting, No. 4 Adult Contemporary, 1967 *"I Am the Grass" – Dee Mullins, No. 64 Country, 1968 *"

The Girl Most Likely ''The Girl Most Likely'' (1958) is a musical and comedy film about a young woman who becomes engaged to three men at the same time. The film, a remake of ''Tom, Dick and Harry'' (1941), was directed by Mitchell Leisen, and stars Jane Powell, C ...

" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 6 Country, 1968 *"There Never Was A Time" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 5 Country, 1968 *"Reconsider Me" –

Johnny Adams Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest ...

, No. 8 R&B, 1969;

Ray Pillow Herbert Raymond "Ray" Pillow (born July 4, 1937) is an American country music singer who has also worked as a music publisher and artists and repertoire (A&R) representative. In his career, he has charted 18 times on the '' Billboard'' country si ...

, No. 38 Country, 1969;

John Wesley Ryles John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950) is an American country music artist. Ryles recorded a string of hit country songs, beginning in 1968 when he was still a teenager, and continuing through the 1980s. He no longer records as a headline ar ...

, No. 39 Country, 1971;

Narvel Felts Albert Narvel Felts (born November 11, 1938) is an American country music and rockabilly singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's "Reconsider Me". Career H ...

, No. 2 Country, 1975 *"I Can't Be All Bad" – Johnny Adams, No. 45 R&B, 1969 *"The Wedding Cake" –

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

, No. 33 Country, 1969 *"Soul Shake" – Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson, No. 27 R&B, 1969;

Delaney & Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg ...

and Friends, No. 43 Pop, 1970 *"The Rib" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 32 Country, 1969 *"My Man" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 60 Country, 1970 *"Country Girl" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 7 Country, 1970 *"Buffalo Soldier" (David Barnes, Lewis, Smith) –

The Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and ...

, No. 28 R&B, No. 86 pop, 1970; also recorded by

The Persuasions The Persuasions are an American a cappella group that began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1960s. The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their ...

http://www.vghf.org/inductees/the_flamingos.html entry for The Flamingos at Vocal Group Hall of Fame *"Oh Singer" – Jeannie C. Riley, No. 4 Country, 1971

References

External links

Margaret Lewis Warwick papers, 1957–2011, at Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Margaret 1939 births 2019 deaths American country singer-songwriters American women country singers Country musicians from Texas People from Levelland, Texas People from Snyder, Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas 21st-century American women