簡(jiǎn)介： by Uncle Dave LewisOrganist Dave Lewis was a local legend in the Pacific Northwest who also had a taste of success on the national level. S 更多>
by Uncle Dave LewisOrganist Dave Lewis was a local legend in the Pacific Northwest who also had a taste of success on the national level. Starting with a small group called The Dave Lewis Combo in the 1950s, Lewis switched to a Hammond organ in 1960 and made a name for himself playing sock hops, dances and nightclubs in early 1960s Seattle. He found admirers among Seattle's fraternity of rock groups who were also popular in the live club scene of that era, notably The Kingsmen, The Wailers (not the group led by Bob Marley) and Don and the Goodtimes. Certain Dave Lewis tunes, such as "Little Green Thing", became so central to the dance scene in Seattle that they were covered by these bands and yet others.
Dave Lewis recorded a number of singles on local labels, mainly Jerry Dennon's Jerden imprint, but also for Jerden subsidiary labels Piccadilly and Panorama. One number, "J.A.J", allegedly stands for "Jive Ass Jerry" and was a back-handed homage to Dennon; it was also recorded by The Kingsmen. In 1963 Herb Alpert heard Dave Lewis playing in a Seattle nightclub and signed him to A&M Records, which was just then getting started. The resulting album, "Little Green Thing", proved a mixed bag which garnered only a lukewarm response, although the title track did gain some airplay on a national level. Lewis returned to Seattle and by 1967 Jerry Dennon had talked him into recording "Dave Lewis Plays Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass" for Jerden, an undistinguished knockoff that sold well but ultimately did little good for its artist. This was followed shortly by "High Heel Sneakers (Recorded Live at DJ's)" issued on Panorama, which is reputed to be Lewis' defining statement, but it is an extremely scarce LP.
To the end of his life Dave Lewis would continue to record as a sideman to various other performers, but after 1967 never again would he be the headline attraction on a recording; the pumpin' B-3 sound had run its course in popular music. Lewis is still regarded as an icon of the early Seattle rock scene, and some of his tunes remain popular there. A small number of his recordings may be found on CD in the Jerden collection "The History of Northwest Rock, Vol. 1."
