| Huey Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Image:Huey Lewis.jpg |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hugh Anthony Cregg III |
| Also known as | Robbie Lewis Lew Welch Huey Cregg Kid Lewis |
| Born | July 5 1950 |
| Origin |  San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genre(s) | Rock Pop Blue-eyed soul Beach music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Harmonica Vocals |
| Years active | 1967 - Present |
| Label(s) | Chrysalis EMI America Elektra Jive Capitol |
| Associated acts |
Clover, Thin Lizzy, Ray Parker Jr., Orleans, King Harvest |
| Website | hln.org |
Huey Lewis (born Hugh Anthony Cregg, III on July 5, 1950) is an American musician and occasional actor. He sings lead vocals and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis & The News. The band is perhaps best remembered in American popular culture for their third album Sports and their contribution to the soundtrack of the 1985 feature film Back to the Future. Huey Lewis also played with the band Clover from 1972 to 1979.
Contents |
Biography
Lewis was born in New York City and raised in Marin County, California, attending Strawberry Point Elementary School (where he skipped second grade) and Edna Maguire Junior High School in Mill Valley. His mother, Magda Cregg, was a Polish refugee[1] and the girlfriend of poet Lew Welch, and his maternal grandfather had gained some success as the inventor of the red wax protective sealant used on certain varieties of cheese. When he was 13, his parents divorced and he was sent to an East Coast prep school instead of going to Tamalpais High School with his classmates. He graduated from Lawrenceville School, New Jersey, in 1967 with a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of the SAT.[2] Lewis applied to and was accepted by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In an interview with David Letterman,[3] Lewis talked about hitchhiking across the country to New York and how he learned to play the harmonica while waiting for rides. He talked about hanging out at the airport for three days until he stowed away on a plane to Europe. In Madrid, Spain, Lewis became an accomplished blues player and he hitchhiked around and supported himself by busking with his harmonica. He gave his first concerts in Madrid, earning enough money to buy a plane ticket back to the USA. On his return, Lewis entered Cornell University, joining the engineering program. While there, he made friends with Lance and Larry Hoppen, who later played with Orleans and King Harvest. Initially being an active student and a member of the fraternity Eta Lambda Nu, Lewis soon lost interest in college. He signed up with a band called Slippery Elm, and in December 1969, during his junior year, he dropped out of Cornell, moving back to the San Francisco area. His aim was to continue playing music, but along the way he also tried other fields of work including landscaping, carpentry and natural foods. In 1971, Lewis joined the Bay Area band Clover. Around this time he took the name Huey Lewis. The Lewis is for his mother Magda Cregg's boyfriend, Beat Generation poet Lew(is) Welch, whom he considered his stepfather. Sean Hopper joined the band in 1972; other members of the band were John McFee, Alex Call, John Ciambotti, Mitch Howie, Mickey Shine and Marcus David. Lewis played harmonica with the band and only sang lead vocals on a few tunes. Clover's main rival band (which developed into a friendly rivalry) was Soundhole (Johnny Colla, Mario Cipollina, and Bill Gibson were band members). In 1976, after playing in the Bay Area with limited success, Clover went to Los Angeles. They had their "big break" in a club there when their act was caught by Nick Lowe, who convinced Clover to travel to Britain with him. However, Clover was not successful in Britain, and the band arrived just as their folk-rock sound (known as pub rock in Britain) was being replaced by punk rock. They recorded two albums for the British Phonogram label; both albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, but neither were successful. While Huey went on vacation, the rest of Clover backed Elvis Costello on his debut album My Aim is True. The band returned to California, McFee joined the Doobie Brothers, and Clover disbanded. Huey Lewis played harmonica on Thin Lizzy's 1978 landmark album Live and Dangerous. That same year, Lewis was playing at Uncle Charlie's, a club in Corte Madera, California, doing the 'Monday Night Live' spot, along with future members of the News. After recording the song "Exo-Disco" (a disco version of the theme from the film Exodus), Huey landed a 'singles contract' from Phonogram Records, and Bob Brown became his manager. Huey Lewis and the American Express formed in 1979, with the same line-up as the News. The band played a few gigs (including an opening for Van Morrison), but on Brown's advice, they changed their name again. Huey Lewis and the News became their moniker. After a failed self-titled debut in 1980, the band finally broke through to Top 40 success with the gold album Picture This (1982) riding to #13 on the Albums chart thanks to the Mutt Lange-penned "Do You Believe In Love" (#7), which became the band's first hit. The band's third LP, the #1 Sports (1983), is one of the best-selling pop releases of all time. It has sold ten million copies in the US alone.[4] It was followed up by Fore! (1986), another #1 multi-platinum smash. in 1995, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker, Jr. over similarities between Parker's theme for the 1984 movie Ghostbusters and Lewis' own "I Want A New Drug". The case was settled out of court, with both parties agreeing to keep the settlement secret. Mr. Parker sued Mr. Lewis in 2001, alleging that Mr. Lewis violated the agreement in a "VH1- Behind the Music" Episode, when he stated that Mr. Parker paid some amount to settle the case.[5] Lewis produced Nick Lowe's 1985 cover of "I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)". Huey Lewis and the News provided backup vocals and played on the song. He and his bandmates also performed on USA for Africa's 1985 fund-raising single "We Are the World", and spent the remainder of the 1980s and early 1990s adding to an impressive string of 14 Top-20 Billboard Hot 100 hits and releasing two more hit albums: Small World (1988) #11 and Hard At Play (1991) #27. By the time the band released their critically-acclaimed album of cover songs Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994) #55, their chosen lower profile and lack of promotion from new label Elektra saw their Top 40 appeal dip for good, yet they have endured as one of America's top drawing live acts and have continued to have the occasional hit on adult contemporary radio. As well as singing lead vocals and playing harmonica with the band, Lewis also writes or co-writes many of the band's songs. Huey Lewis has sung with Umphrey's McGee at several shows beginning with the 2005 Jammys and is featured on two tracks of their album Safety In Numbers. The band, now in self-proclaimed semi-retirement, still plays 80+ U.S. dates a year, with an occasional European tour. The average fee for Huey Lewis & The News to play a private college-sized show is around US$200,000. On February 13, 2007, Huey was interviewed on the podcast series "Stuck in the 80s," during which he revealed that the band has written several new songs that they plan to record next year, though he states that, given how much the industry has changed since their last album, he's unsure at this point how they will sell the new material.[6] During a show at the California State Fair on August 21, 2007, Huey was named Sacramento's "Musician of the Year" by the fair's General Manager and presented with a gold statue of the California state bear. Huey has also recorded a duet version of "Workin' For A Livin'" with Garth Brooks, which was included in Brooks' 3-Disc set The Ultimate Hits, in late-2007.
Acting
Lewis has made appearances in several movies. The first was a cameo in Back to the Future (1985), as a judge in the Hill Valley High School band audition. Ironically, Marty McFly was on stage playing Lewis' hit, "The Power of Love." The band also recorded another hit song for the soundtrack, the hit "Back in Time." Huey's second movie appearance was in Short Cuts (1993), in which Lewis had a much more significant role. Lewis also made an appearance in the music video for Reba McEntire's 1992 single 'Is There Life Out There' as Reba's husband. In addition, Lewis appeared in the first few minutes of the movie Sphere (1998) as the helicopter pilot. After that role, he had a large part in Shadow of a Doubt (1998) which appeared on Showtime. He had an uncredited role in Dead Husbands (1998) as the husband killed during the opening credits. He did not appear in Die Hard (1988), although Dennis Hayden, the actor who plays one of the terrorists (the one who poses as the Nakatomi lobby security guard) bears a striking resemblance to Lewis and is often mistaken for the singer. Duets (2000) was probably Lewis' largest role in a major Hollywood feature film. In it, he played Gwyneth Paltrow's father, Ricky Dean, a karaoke hustler. Duets led to the smash-hit duet "Cruisin'" (a cover of the Smokey Robinson classic) with Paltrow. Unreleased as a single, the song nevertheless reached the top spot on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. Next, he appeared in a film, .com for Murder, starring Nastassja Kinski. In 2004, Lewis appeared in a couple episodes of the television show One Tree Hill as Haley James Scott's father Jimmy James. Most recently Huey made his Broadway debut in the six-time Tony award-winning musical Chicago, starring as attorney Billy Flynn.
Personal life
He is divorced and resides in Montana. He has two children by former wife Sidney Conroy: Kelly (born 1983) and Austin (born 1985). His interests include golf, baseball, fishing, and owning a racing car and a Harley Davidson.
Recordings
Albums
Huey Lewis and the News has sold over 30 million records worldwide, though the band's official sales figure is only 20 million, since EMI/Chrysalis stopped "officially" counting when the band left the label in 1991.
- Huey Lewis & the News (1980)
- Picture This (1982) #13 US
- Sports (1983) #1 US (over 7 million copies sold in the U.S., according to the RIAA)
- Back to the Future Soundtrack (1985) #12 US
- Fore! (1986) #1 US
- Small World (1988) #11 US
- Hard at Play (1991) #27 US
- Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994) #55 US
- Time Flies: The Best Of Huey Lewis And The News (1996) #185 US
- Duets Soundtrack (2000) #102 US (#16 Billboard Top Soundtracks)
- Plan B (2001) #165 US (#19 Billboard Top Internet Albums)
- Live at 25 (2005)
- Live at 25 DVD #28 Billboard DVD Chart (DVD only)
- Greatest Hits & Videos (2006) #70 US
Singles
All told, Huey Lewis (mainly with the News) has scored 20 Top Ten hits over Billboard's Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock Charts(not counting the groups participation in the #1 "We Are The World" charity Single). Both "The Power of Love" and "I Want a New Drug" were million selling singles.
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US MSR | US A.C. | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Exo-Disco" | - | - | - | - | Promo Single |
| 1980 | "Don't Ever Tell Me That You Love Me" | - | - | - | - | Huey Lewis & The News |
| 1980 | "Some Of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)" | - | - | - | - | Huey Lewis & The News |
| 1980 | "Now Here's You" | - | - | - | - | Huey Lewis & The News |
| 1982 | "Do You Believe in Love" | 7 | 12 | - | - | Picture This |
| 1982 | "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do" | 36 | - | - | - | Picture This |
| 1982 | "Workin' for a Livin'" | 41 | 20 | - | - | Picture This |
| 1983 | "Heart and Soul" | 8 | 1 | - | - | Sports |
| 1984 | "I Want a New Drug" | 6 | 7 | - | - | Sports |
| 1984 | "The Heart of Rock 'N Roll" | 6 | 5 | - | 781 | Sports |
| 1984 | "If This Is It" | 6 | 3 | 5 | 39 | Sports |
| 1984 | "Walking On a Thin Line" | 18 | 16 | - | - | Sports |
| 1985 | "Trouble In Paradise (Live)" | - | 11 | - | - | Promo single2 |
| 1985 | "The Power of Love" | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | Back to the Future Soundtrack |
| 1985 | "Back in Time" | - | 3 | - | - | Back to the Future Soundtrack |
| 1985 | "We Are the World"(with USA For Africa) | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1 | "We Are The World" (U.S.A For Africa Charity album) |
| 1985 | "I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock & Roll)"(with Nick Lowe) | 77 | 27 | - | - | Rose Of England (Nick Lowe album) |
| 1986 | "Stuck with You" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | Fore! |
| 1986 | "Hip to Be Square" | 3 | 1 | 20 | 41 | Fore! |
| 1987 | "Jacob's Ladder" | 1 | 10 | 17 | - | Fore! |
| 1987 | "I Know What I Like" | 9 | 25 | 30 | - | Fore! |
| 1987 | "Simple as That" | - | - | - | 47 | Fore! |
| 1987 | "Doin' It All for My Baby" | 6 | - | 2 | 93 | Fore! |
| 1987 | "Whole Lotta Lovin'" | - | 38 | - | - | Fore! |
| 1988 | "Perfect World" | 3 | 5 | 2 | 48 | Small World |
| 1988 | "Small World, Part 1" | 25 | 28 | 19 | - | Small World |
| 1989 | "Give Me the Keys (And I'll Drive You Crazy)" | 47 | - | - | - | Small World |
| 1989 | "World to Me" | - | - | 84 | - | Small World |
| 1991 | "Couple Days Off" | 11 | 3 | - | - | Hard at Play |
| 1991 | "It Hit Me Like a Hammer" | 21 | - | 10 | - | Hard at Play |
| 1991 | "Build Me Up" | - | 27 | - | - | Hard at Play |
| 1991 | "He Don't Know" | - | - | - | - | Hard at Play |
| 1993 | "It's Alright" | - | - | 7 | - | People Get Ready: A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield |
| 1994 | "Some Kind of Wonderful" | 44 | - | 7 | - | Four Chords & Several Years Ago |
| 1994 | "But It's Alright" | 54 | - | 5 | - | Four Chords & Several Years Ago |
| 1995 | "Little Bitty Pretty One" | - | - | 27 | - | Four Chords & Several Years Ago |
| 1996 | "100 Years from Now" | - | - | 10 | - | Time Flies: The Best Of... |
| 2000 | "Cruisin'" (with Gwyneth Paltrow) | - | - | 1 | - | Duets soundtrack |
| 2001 | "Let Her Go and Start Over" | - | - | 23 | - | Plan B |
| 2001 | "I'm Not In Love Yet" (with Wynonna Judd) | - | - | - | - | Plan B |
| 2007 | "Workin' for a Livin'" (re-recording w/ Garth Brooks)3 | - | - | - | - | The Ultimate Hits (Garth Brooks album) |
- 1 Re-released in 1986; peaked at #49
- 2 Original version on Huey Lewis and The News (1980)
- 3 Currently at a peak of #34 on U.S. Hot Country Songs.
Awards
- The band have two Grammy Awards to their name, one for "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (Video Long Form) and one for their participation in "We Are The World".
- Huey Lewis and the News are the recipients of 30 Californian (formerly Bay Area Music) Awards.
- The band's biggest hit, "The Power of Love" (from the blockbuster film Back to the Future), was nominated for an Academy Award.
- Twenty of the band's singles have entered the Top Ten on various Billboard Charts.
- All five albums released by the band between 1982 and 1991 cracked the Top 30 and were certified either gold, platinum, or multi-platinum.
- The band received the award for Best International Group at the 1986 British Music Awards.
- The band's 1983 blockbuster album Sports was nominated for a Grammy Award.
References
- ^ http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608000663/Huey-Lewis.html
- ^ Kaliss, Jeff. "Huey Lewis still spreads the news", San Francisco Chronicle, June 24, 2005
- ^ interview
- ^ According to the band's own VH1 special.
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/hueylewisandthenews/articles/story/5932560/parker_sues_huey_lewis
- ^ "Stuck in the 80s" podcast 2007-02-13
