Gary Lewis Is Still A Playboy
Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Millions of American boys formed bands after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. One of them was Gary Lewis, son of superstar comedian-filmmaker Jerry Lewis, who watched the popular Sunday night show from his Newark home. A year later, with no help whatsoever from his father (but a lot from his mother), his band, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, hit #1 with an Al Kooper song, “This Diamond Ring,” produced by Snuff Garrett [1938-2015]. (Snuff was a real ‘60s character: he gave Phil Spector his start, and produced Sonny & Cher, Tanya Tucker, Brenda Lee and Roy Rogers.) The Beatlesque song holds up remarkably well 61 years later. It started a string of eight gold singles, 17 Top 40 hits, four gold albums and 45 million records sold. Now 80, Gary Lewis is still a Playboy. His band is touring as part of the “My Generation” tour with new iterations of Lovin’ Spoonful and The Hollies.
The tour kicks off March 13 at The State Theatre in Easton Pennsylvania, a haunted structure with great acoustics. You can buy VIP artist Meet’n’Greet tickets at https://www.wlvt.org/events/ to support Lehigh Valley Public Media, a worthy cause, in an age where federal funding for public television is now gone.
My Generation Tour
March 13
State Theatre, Easton PA
March 14
Caesars, Atlantic City NJ
March 15
Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket CT
March 20
The Carolina Opry, Myrtle Beach SC
March 21
Francis Marion University, Florence SC
April 26
American Music Theatre, Lancaster PA
May 7
Nixon Centre, Newnan GA
May 8
Falany Performing Arts Center, Waleska GA
May 22
Lorain Palace, Lorain OH
May 26
Blue Gate, Shipshewana IN