Regional Rocker

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to The Jewish News

W

Gary Lewis is
keeping the
'60s alive while
based in the
Midwest.

hen Gary Lewis enter-
tains in Michigan, as
he did in June at Pine
Knob, he doesn't have to
travel a long way from home.
Since 1984, the rock 'n roller
has lived in Cleveland.
"I married a girl from
Cleveland, and that's where I
ended up," said the performer,
whose show features many of
his hits from the '60s in-
cluding "This Diamond
Ring," "Count Me In" and
"Everybody Loves a Clown."
"Cleveland is a very
refreshing change from the
fast pace and competition in
California!' he continued. "I

p

Gary Lewis continues the beat from Cleveland.

appreciate the serenity, and I
love the change of seasons
and the snow!'
Before becoming enamored
of the Midwest, Mr. Lewis, 46,
became enamored of Patty
Barrett, his second wife, who
attends Kent State Universi-
ty. They met when he was ap-
pearing at a club in Florida,
where she was tending bar.
As they talked, he found out
she was returning to Cleve-
land, which happened to be
the next stop on his band's
tour, and they dated there.
"When the guys were set to
go home, I just stayed!" he
said. Later on, he formed a
group of Cleveland musicians
to travel with him as part of
Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
"Travel is the work!" he

commented. "Once we get on
stage and start playing, that's
the fun."
In addition to numbers from
the 15 albums recorded with
his earlier group, he and the
Playboys present original
material to let audiences
know they are updating their
music. They also do songs
popularized by the Beatles
and other groups from the
'60s.
Mr. Lewis, who has been
playing drums since age 5, at-
tended classes at the Pasa-
dena Playhouse, a theater
arts school. He played the
clarinet and saxophone in a
marching band and later
learned guitar.
His professional start in
music came in the summer of
1964, when his group was
hired to sing and play at .
Disneyland.
"Doing the Ed Sullivan
Show with my very first
record stands out as being one
of the high points of my life!"
he recalled. "We ended up do-
ing the show four more times
with our next four releases. It
was wonderful!'
Both his parents were
entertainers — Jerry Lewis
and the former Esther
Calonico of Warren, who sang
under the name Patti Palmer
with the Jimmy Dorsey Band.
Neither tried to push Gary in
the direction of the stage.
"They're happy for me
because I'm happy," he ex-
plained. "My dad always told
me it never mattered to him
what I did in life as long as I
gave it 100 percent and loved
it with all my heart!'
This is the message he com-
municates to his own
daughter, who is 24 and lives
in California with her hus-
band, who serves in the Navy.
His parents did try to direct
him and his five brothers
toward spirituality. With his
father being Jewish and his
mother Catholic, he was
taken to both temple and
church services. He wears a
necklace that is a combina-
tion of a Mogen David and a
cross.
"I don't have heavy reli-
gious beliefs, but I have
spiritual beliefs on how to be
a good person and how to
treat people!' he said.

He very much believes in
and supports his father's
work on behalf of muscular
dystrophy causes including
the Labor Day telethon to
raise money to combat the
disease. Due to a booking
obligation, this will be the
first year since 1984 that he
has not performed for the an-
nual event.
However, he remains active
with Ohio muscular dystro-
phy initiatives, participating
in walkathons, cookathons
and skatethons.
Mr. Lewis is in his dad's cor-
ner with regard to recent
criticisms that the telethons
are designed to elicit pity for
those suffering with the
debilitating disease.
"My dad does not pity these
people," he asserted. "He
hates that whole idea
himself. I don't know why

His professional
start in music
came in the
summer of 1964,
when his group
was hired to sing
and play at
Disneyland.

they would accuse him of
that.
"He's not asking for pity. H
just wants to put on E•
telethon and give good enter-
tainment to raise money so
they can have research and
get rid of the disease. It has
nothing to do with pity.
That's my stand on it."
On a very different stand,
Mr. Lewis, a non-stop baseball
fan, often can be found at
Cleveland's Municipal
Stadium rooting for the In-
dians. He still has not forsak-
ken the L.A. Dodgers and
cheers them on as well.
Going to the movies is
another favorite pastime. But
Mr. Lewis is very emphatic
about his entertainment
future.
"I hope to continue with my
music as long as possible!" he
said. "Capitol Records is re-
releasing all of our albums on
CD, and I'm very excited and
very grateful." ❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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