More Info on Barbara LewisSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
BLP sources|date=September 2010Infobox musical artist|name = Barbara Lewis|image =|image_size =|caption =|background =solo_singer|birth_name =|alias =|birth_date = birth date and age|1943|2|9|birth_place = Salem, Michigan , United States |death_date =|origin =|instrument =|genre =R& B/Soul|occupation = Singer , songwriter |years_active =|label = Atlantic|associated_acts =|website =|current_members =|past_members =|notable_instruments =Barbara Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an United States|American singing|singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues .citation needed|date=December 2008
Career
Lewis was born in Salem, Michigan|Salem , near Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor , Michigan . She was writing and sound recording and reproduction|recording by her adolescence|teens with record producer Ollie McLaughlin (a black Disc jockey|DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, now WAAM , who is also credited with discovering Del Shannon ).Citation needed|date=April 2007 Lewis' first single (music)|single release in 1962, the uptempo "My Heart Went Do Dat Da," did not record chart|chart nationally, but was a local hit single|hit in the Detroit , Michigan area. She wrote all of the songs on her debut album|LP , including the hit " Hello Stranger " which reached #3 on the United States|U.S. Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart , and featured extensive use of the Hammond organ . Lewis had moderate follow-up hits with "Straighten Up Your Heart" (#43) and her original "Puppy Love" (#38) before Bert Berns produced her million-seller " Baby I'm Yours (Barbara Lewis song)|Baby I'm Yours " (U.S. #11), written by Van McCoy . Berns also produced the followup " Make Me Your Baby " (U.S. #11) which had originally been recorded by the Pixies Three , and Lewis' final Top 40 hit "Make Me Belong to You" (#28 in 1966), written by Chip Taylor and Billy Vera .cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 192 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6
At the end of the decade, she released a grittier-sounding album on Stax Records , and after its lack of commercial success, she began to withdraw from the music industry .Citation needed|date=April 2007 However, over the next decade, a number of other musician|artists had success with Lewis' song s. Her own composition "Hello Stranger"- which had been remade in 1966 by the Capitols – was a regional hit in 1973 as remade by Fire & Rain http://www.mannyfreiser.com/bio.html/ MANNY FREISER - Tracks In The Sands Of Time - BIO and in 1977 Yvonne Elliman 's version reached the US Top 20 and the UK Singles Chart Top 30: Elliman's version also topped the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|Easy Listening chart for four weeks. In 1985 Carrie Lucas ' remake of "Hello Stranger" was a Top 20 R& B hit and in 2004 Queen Latifah remade "Hello Stranger" for her The Dana Owens Album .
"Baby I'm Yours" charted in versions by country music|country singer Jody Miller and Debby Boone (the A-side and B-side|B-side of her single "God Knows"). In Canada , Suzanne Stevens had a hit in 1975 with a disco version of "Make Me Your Baby." Cover versions of Barbara Lewis' tracks continue into the new millennium with the Arctic Monkeys , including a version of "Baby I'm Yours" as a B-side to their 2006 single, " Leave Before the Lights Come On ."
In 1995, Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours" was featured on the soundtrack for the film , The Bridges of Madison County (film)|The Bridges of Madison County . She received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999.Citation needed|date=April 2007 The backup group on many songs from the album Hello Stranger – including the title cut – are The Dells .Citation needed|date=April 2007
Chart Singles
" Hello Stranger " May 1963 – Billboard Hot 100|U.S. #3, Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|U.S. R& B #1 (2 weeks)
"Straighten Up Your Heart" – August 1963 – U.S. #43; b/w "If You Love Her" – U.S. #131
"Puppy Love" – January 1964 – U.S. #38; b/w "Snap Your Fingers" December 1963 – U.S. #71
" Baby I'm Yours (Barbara Lewis song)|Baby I'm Yours " – June 1965 – U.S. #11
" Make Me Your Baby " – September 1965 – U.S. #11
"Don't Forget About Me" – January 1966 – U.S. #91
"Make Me Belong To You" – July 1966 – U.S. #28
"Baby What Do You Want Me To Do" – October 1966 – U.S. #74
"I'll Make Him Love Me" – April 1967 – U.S. #72
Other noteworthy songs
"My Heart Went Do Dat Da"
"My Mama Told Me"
"Think A Little Sugar" (flip side of "Hello Stranger")
"How Can I Say Goodbye"
"Spend A Little Time"
"Someday We're Gonna Love Again"
"Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far"
""I Remember The Feeling (flip side of "Baby What Do You Want Me To Do")
"Thankful For What I Got"
"Sho' Nuff (It's Got To Be Your Love)"
"Love Makes The World Go Round" – a cover of a hit by Deon Jackson
"On Bended Knee"
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/barbara-lewis-smooth-singer Barbara Lewis via African American Registry
Persondata | NAME = Lewis, Barbara | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Singer-songwriter | DATE OF BIRTH = February 9, 1943 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Salem, Michigan | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Barbara Category:1943 births Category:African American musicians Category:American blues singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Michigan Category:People from Ann Arbor, Michigan Category:People from Oakland County, Michigan Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Northern soul musicians
