Gary Lewis: ‘I Just Like Being a Regular Guy’
About to turn 80, son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis — and Pittsford resident — talks about his career, his addiction to drugs, his upbringing and his relationship with his famous father
By Tim Bennett
Gary Lewis, of Gary Lewis and the Playboys and son of the famous comedian Jerry Lewis, achieved what few singers do at 19 or any age — reach No. 1 on the pop charts with his first recording (“This Diamond Ring” in 1965) and then churn out another six consecutive top-10 hits.
Lewis’ other hits include “Everybody Loves a Clown,” “Count Me In,” “She’s Just My Style,” “Sure Gonna Miss Her,” “Save Your Heart for Me,” and “Green Grass”
In all, Gary Lewis and the Playboys had eight gold singles, four gold albums and 45 million records sold worldwide.
At the pinnacle of his success, in 1967, Lewis was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent time in Vietnam and South Korea.
While Lewis was overseas, the music industry changed.
The light, innocent tunes of the ‘60s morphed into the hard rock anthems of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
When Lewis talked with his record producer, Snuff Garrett, about his future, Garrett said bluntly, “There’s no place for your type of music anymore.”
Fearing he had nowhere to go after the military, Lewis sought comfort in alcohol and drugs that plagued him for decades.
Being a die-hard musician, however, Lewis had to play somewhere so he chose the nomad existence for years playing in small city clubs all around the country and sleeping wherever he could lay his head.
Lewis took time off in 1972 to open a music store in the San Fernando Valley, just outside of Los Angeles. In 1984, a music agent called and said the ‘60s music was back. Ever since, Lewis has been busy doing nostalgia shows throughout the U.S. — often with other ‘60s groups.
Yet, it wasn’t until the late 1990s, when he met his wife-to-be, Donna Grow, that he finally confronted his addictions. Today, celebrating 21 years of sobriety and a successful marriage equally as long, Lewis said he enjoys life more than ever and still loves playing his hits to live audiences.
This interview was conducted via telephone on Dec. 21, 2024.
Q: I was surprised to learn that you lived in the Rochester area. How did you end up here?
A: Actually, I was born in Manhattan in 1945. Then my travels took me to many states to live. I grew up in Los Angeles. In 1997, we did a gig in Rochester at the Eastman Theater where I met my wife. They had a radio station party after the show and my wife was there with a girlfriend. I saw her and we started talking. Then we dated for a little bit and when it came time to go home or stay, I just stayed.
Q: How do you like the Rochester area?
A: I like it so much more than LA. It’s incredible. Of course, there is snow and all, but it is a big enough city to have everything I need, but small enough to feel like a small town.
Q: What was it like growing up with a famous comedian for a father?
A: The first thing I want to say before talking about him is that I am not purposely out to badmouth him. I also do not want to lie. Having said that, the truth is, my dad was a narcissistic egomaniac. He was so consumed with himself he had no time for anyone else in the family — my mom, my brothers or me. Whatever happened in his life to make him that way must have been horrific. I don’t know what it was because he never talked about his upbringing. All I know is he always said he hated his parents. To give an idea of what it was like in our home, my mom would often tell us, “Go to your rooms, your father is here!” That was because he was always in a rotten mood and it is too bad. After I got sober, I felt sorry for him. He was always looking for external things to fill that hole within him.
Q: Could you talk about your mom and how she influenced your life?
A: I loved my mom. One good thing she did was take all six of us to church. She would say, “I’m taking you guys to church because your dad won’t take you to the temple.” Though my dad was Jewish, I don’t think he ever saw the inside of a temple so there wasn’t much chance of that happening. She would always tease us, “I’m not going to raise a bunch of heathens.” As a kid, it didn’t really make much of an impact on me. When I finally got clean and sober, though, I realized that she had laid a really good foundation for me. Unfortunately, when I was using drugs and alcohol to cope, I never prayed or talked to God. All I felt was desperation.
Q: What songs were you and the Playboys playing at Disneyland when you got discovered by Snuff Garrett, the Liberty Records producer?
A: We played everything that was popular at the time, mainly the Beatles and all the surf music.
Q: What was it like at 19 to have a No. 1 record just coming out of the gate?
A: Isn’t that the way everybody wishes it would happen? We were so excited and thrilled we couldn’t contain ourselves. Snuffy Garrett, our producer, put a damper on our enthusiasm when he said, “Calm down, guys. Do you know how many one-hit wonders there are in the world? We have to concentrate on number two and number three. If we get those, we could be on our way.” When our next six records made the top 10, radio DJs would always tell me, “You guys and the Lovin’ Spoonful were the only ones to ever do that.” Looking back, I realize it was God who blessed me with this talent. He was with me, even though I may not have known it at the time.
Q: You were drafted in 1967 after cranking out many top hits. Were your parents against you going into the Army during Vietnam?
A: Sure they were, but there was no choice. Even though I didn’t want to do it, it was the best thing I could have done in my life because, believe me, you grow up quickly in the Army. And, you learn to rely on your friends and the others in your platoon.
Q: Did they treat you like a regular guy?
A: They all knew me. But they did treat me like a regular guy because I was a regular guy. I wasn’t about to be a big shot, no way, not when you are living with 50 other guys.
Q: They didn’t ask you to sing your hits to them?
A: No. I went to a military school growing up so when I got in the Army and they found out that I knew a lot of the military stuff like how to march and do the manual of arms, they made me a squad leader, which meant
I had status.
Q: Most of your hit songs were innocent, teenage love songs. Do you think your fan base lost their innocence when you were in the Army and, therefore were no longer interested in those types of songs anymore?
A: Exactly. The music went to much harder rock and people started stating their opinions in music. The ‘70s were definitely not very kind to ‘60s artists. That’s when I bought the music store.
Q: Did you really have to work? You had seven top 10 hits! Where were the royalties?
A: Well, I was playing all around the country so I didn’t have a permanent address. This made getting royalties difficult. It wasn’t until much later, when I settled down in Rochester and had a permanent address that I got all that straightened out. My wife, Donna, took charge of my business dealings, made all the right contacts and finally all the royalties started coming in, which was significant. Before that, I was just playing music, doing drugs and alcohol and trying to survive. At one point, I was an inch away from homelessness.
Q: So did you play with the original Playboys?
A: No. The original Playboys disbanded after I got drafted in 1967 into the Army and they had to go and find other jobs. I asked them before I got out of the Army if they wanted to pick up where we left off, but they said no. So, there have been different sets of Playboys all during my career.
Q: Folk rock was popular in the ‘70s. Did you ever consider doing songs like James Taylor and Cat Stevens?
A: No. I have rock and roll in my bones.
Q: How about the bigger venues? Did you think that was over?
A: Yes. I thought that was it. But in 1984, I got a call from this agent in Indiana and he said, “Hey man, the ‘60s are coming back.” I said, “Who the hell is this?” I thought it was a prank call. He said, “No. No. I am an agent and I can book you 60 to 100 dates a year.” Sure enough, that’s what happened and I’ve been doing gigs ever since. Not as much now, of course. I’ll be 80 in July.
Q: Will you be writing a memoir or will a musical come out on your life like they did with Frankie Valli and Carole King?
A: No. I don’t think so. I’d rather not have to dredge up everything I went through growing up.
Q: When did you first get heavily involved in drugs and alcohol? Was it while you were in the Army?
A: Yeah, I did drink and do drugs then but it wasn’t until the ‘70s that I really got into it heavily. The ‘70s brought much harder rock and roll. When my producer told me my recording days were over, I was devastated. At first, it was just alcohol but then I found out that playing gigs that required four or five sets a night are hard when you are drunk. So I started taking pills that would perk me up. But then I became a yo-yo. I’d be perked up and then I would have to take something to sleep. So it was always up down up down. It was terrible.
Q: In other interviews you say your wife, before you got married, influenced you to stop taking drugs and drinking. What convinced you it was time to stop?
A: Well, Donna wrote me a four-page letter. The whole first page was great. She said, “I love that I met you. I love being with you. You have a good heart. I can tell you have a good soul.” All love. Page two, however, started out with this: “But, I can’t really take this and I can’t really live like this. You really should think about getting some help for this problem.” When I read that I thought, “Oh no, here we go.” When I got that letter in 1998, I didn’t do anything about it until 2003. But the seed had been planted and it germinated during that period. I finally said, “OK” and I checked myself in for detox for five days and then rehab for a month.
Q: How have you been able to maintain your sobriety since 2003? Do you still go to AA?
A: Absolutely. And, I never want to go back to that despicable desperation again. That is so strong in my mind and in my soul now. No matter how bad something is, you know, like receiving some really bad news or like my mom dying, I never think about taking a drink. It just doesn’t even enter my mind anymore. That’s just who I am now.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not performing?
A: Even though it is winter, I like to do normal things like going to the stores and getting what I need. I like to go shopping at the market because my wife doesn’t enjoy it.
Q: Do people recognize you?
A: Yeah. It’s great and I am appreciative of that. The fans put me where I am so if they want to talk, I’ll talk with them. I just like being a regular guy. That’s what AA has done for me. Given me that humility, my faith in God. It gave me so much. AA and my wife actually saved my life.
Gary Lewis On …
• Dean Martin: “My dad loved him and I did, too. He was always so calm and talked slow. I know his daughter Gina Martin and she always told me he was such a good father and such a quiet peaceful guy. He didn’t like to go out and party. He just liked to sit at home with his family and I loved that about him.”
• On his mom, Patti Palmer (who was a big band singer for the Tommy Dorsey Band and The Ted Fio Rito Orchestra): “I adored my mom. I really loved her. She always made sure to give us all individual time. She was great—an Italian Catholic mom, always putting a positive spin on things.”
• Buddy Rich: “To tell the truth, I just thought he was just a friend of my dad’s. Every time he came over to the house he would say to me, “Hey kid, let’s go out to the drums.” That took place from when I was 5 to 12 years old. When I found out he was Buddy Rich, the famous drummer, I was floored.”