Gary
Lewis & The Playboys
Aficionados
of 60's pop classics have cause to rejoice with the return of
Gary Lewis and The Playboys. Gary's tenure on the charts from
1965 - 1968 as a constant resident of the upper rungs of the Hot
100 can be regarded as nothing short of remarkable.
It
was the summer of 1964 when Gary Lewis and The Playboys were discovered
by producer Snuffy Garrett. Before long, with the producer arranger
team of Garrett and Leon Russell behind them, they took their
first single "This Diamond Ring" straight to Number
One. After their second hit titled "Count Me In" went
to number two, Gary and the band proved they would be a continued
success. They followed with more Top 10 songs such as "Save
Your Heart For Me", "Everybody Loves A Clown",
"She's Just My Style", "Sure Gonna Miss Her",
and many more.
In 1965 Gary
himself was Cash Box magazine's "Male Vocalist Of The Year",
winning the honor over other nominees Elvis Presley and Frank
Sinatra. He was the first and only artist during the 1960's to
have his first seven releases reach Billboard magazine's Top 10
on the Hot 100 charts. In the Philippines during this time, they
were considered "America's Answer to the Beatles" and
spanning a two week period sold out the 18,000 capacity Arianeta
Coliseum for 24 performances. Along with his appearances on various
popular television shows including "American Bandstand",
"The Joey Bishop Show", and "The Tonight Show",
Gary accumulated an impressive five appearances on the "Ed
Sullivan Show".
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