Gary Lewis

Around this time, Jim's mum, one of her friends works at what he calls a musical department, but I think it's a store because the mum says, "Can you give Jim a job at the music store 'cause he loves drums?" So he starts working behind the desk selling drumsticks and all little bits and bobs like that, and at the same time, he's teaching drum lessons upstairs, and one day this guy comes in and he's like, "Can I have a drum lesson?" "Uh, I don't re- yeah, I guess I can fit you in." And the guy turns out to be the son of one of the most famous American comedians and singers at the time, Jerry Lewis.

Gary Lewis is his name, and this, this guy is like ...

It's like Jimmy Fallon and all of those people all rolled into one.

Right.

Yeah.

So you'd wanna be like them.

And then we go into, like you said, him playing for Gary Lewis.

I saw that there was some things where publicly it says Gary Lewis played drums on this, but actually it w- some of it was Jim Keltner.

You know, not everybody had a great voice back in the days.

You have to do something with Gary Lewis to make him sound

good.

Yeah, you know, when I first listened to the 2026 mix, I was impressed.

The number of people that were born there.

Terry Garr, John Lithgow, Gary Lewis, Burgess Meredith, and Jack Riley.

What? Oh, my

God.

Dan says, pretty standard Bobby style pop.

I'd recommend the mid-sized 1966 US Brian Highland hit, The Joker Went Wild, because it is 100% in the style of Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Hedgerow says, I find this more interesting as a comparison point to where he went later than as a song on its own.

Anne Bryan says, Nostalgia for a time before we were around, when love was all innocent, at least according to the pop songs.

Yeah, well, we'll be hearing more about SAW in the next full episode.

No spoilers.

I don't think I'm aware of Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

I'm getting them confused with the Judy in Disguise people.

It's definitely one to turn up and enjoy.

Frankie, Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

One of my favorite bands from the top 40 bands from the

mid-60s.

What do you

have

for us? Okay, so Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Now, Gary Harold Lee Levitch was born in July of 1945 and is an American musician who was the leader of Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

And then just, like, in a snap of a finger, man, like, after about just a few months, uh, things changed with the...

And I've told this story a million times about Gary Lewis coming-

Sure.

Mm-hmm

[laughs]

Um, and then a band called Gary Lewis and the Playboys that to me was a massive album.

Yeah.

Gary Lewis was the son of Jerry Lewis, the American comedian.

Yep.

And he had this band that was like a pr- uh, uh, if you like, it, it ought to sound a bit cruel, it was like a poor man's Beach Boys.

They're a, an amazing vocal harmony group, but that record was just one of my most influential albums as a kid growing up.

Isn't ...

But Cream was important to me because I grew up listening to my dad's music and my dad listens to country and 60s oldies that aren't very hard.

Like I know a lot about Gary Lewis and the Playboys growing up and basically nothing about the Rolling Stones.

The one I started to get.

Yes.

Gary Lewis, son of Jerry Lewis and his terrible Nepo baby band.

But.

Yes, and I was a little more aware of Jerry and the Pacemakers than the Stones.