“That was the Top-10,” recalled Lewis in a recent interview. “But I wanted to do something…I wanted to play for dancing, and we tried to find records that were, I guess, black-oriented, and we tried to introduce them to the people. And I think that’s what got us over. Because here in Washington there wasn’t a big opening for underground R&B music.”
His
first group, the 5 Checks, formed at Meany Jr. High School for a talent show.
Later they sang their doo-wop songs at neighborhood house parties, YMCA gigs,
and even a few shows downtown at the old Palomar Theater. Later, while
attending Garfield High, that act morphed into the Dave Lewis Combo who worked
to build their reputation as Seattle’s first notable teenaged rockin’-R&B
band. They played community centers, dance halls, proms, and eventually were
hired to open shows for many of the seminal rockers of that era who had begun
touring through the region. The Combo traveled the early circuit with the likes
of Bill Haley and his Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and numerous other
stars.
In
1957 the Combo were offered the chance to become the house band at Seattle’s
popular after-hours nightclub, the Birdland (23rd Avenue &
Madison Street), and they became a local sensation. Young musicians from all
around the Northwest flocked here to hear the sounds, and the Combo began
welcoming players to sit in and jam. It was also at Birdland here that the
Combo eventually auditioned for Bumps Blackwell – the former Seattle bandleader
who had gone off to Los Angels and has since managed stars like Little Richard
and Sam Cooke. Blackwell liked the band but noted that they were playing all
cover songs, instead of originals. So he passed on working with them…
But
that rejection sparked them to begin formalizing some of their original riffs
into actual songs. In 1960 they recorded their debut single which included “Barney’s
Tune” as written by one of their ace sax-men, Barney Hilliard. Their second
single featured Lewis’ “Candido” which he titled after the nickname of his pal
and eventual drummer, Don Mallory, backed with a Twist-era tribute to their
musical hero Ray Charles: “R.C. (Untwistin’).”
By
1961 Lewis was leading a trio at Dave Levy’s jazz club, Dave’s Fifth Avenue,
located right across the street from the new Seattle’ Center – the site of
1962’s Century 21 World’s Fair. Throughout that exposition the Dave Lewis Trio
packed crowds in and the following year saw Lewis switch from piano to electric
organ and sign a record deal with Herb Alpert’s new A&M Records. Albums and
many more singles followed, with a few becoming sizeable hits on Northwest
radio.
That
the “Dave Lewis Sound” made a big impact is undeniable. Scores of early
Northwest rock bands covered his tunes, including: the Kingsmen (“David’s
Mood,” “J.A.J.,” and “Little Green Thing”); the Counts (“And Then I Cried”);
the Dynamics (“Candido” and “J.A.J.”); Don & the Goodtimes (“Lip Service”);
and the Courtmen (“David’s Mood”).
But
then, after playing six-nighters steadily until 1980, Lewis entered into a
“semi-retirement stage.” But, “I started dreaming about…I wanted an
orchestra…but, I didn’t want it formatted to the old-style orchestra. I wanted
an orchestra that played funk. That’s my thing! I still prefer to have people
dancing to the music I play.”
In
the last year-and-a-half, Lewis’ 20-piece ensemble has performed at the Music
Hall and Paramount Theater concerts with Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, and the
Gap band. They also recently kicked off the new Gasworks Park Summer Music
Series.
[Note:
This is an edited version of an essay that originally appeared in the
“Northwest Music Archives” column of Seattle’s The Rocket magazine back in September, 1983.]
Text copyright © 1983, 2014 by Peter Blecha.
Text copyright © 1983, 2014 by Peter Blecha.