Barbara Lewis - A Profile

Barbara Ann Lewis was born in Salem, MI, on 9 Feb 1943 so is 80 today. She began writing songs from the age of 9 and was recording as a teenager with Detroit's producer Ollie McLaughlin who at the time was a DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV (now WAAM). He set up a number of labels in Detroit named after his wife (Ruth) and daughters (Karen (1962), Carla (1965), Moira (1968)). He also owned another label named after himself, Omack, on which there were only one or two releases (The Happy Cats and Joe Hunter).

Her first recording was "My Heart Went Do Dat Da" in April 1962 on McLaughlin's Karen label that got a national issue on Atlantic. It was a local hit but didn't chart. She followed it with "My Mama Told Me" in Aug 1962 again with little success (some sources state that these two sides were recorded at Motown's Studio A claiming that Andantes were the backing vocals and even suggests that Marvin Gaye may have been on drums, yet the Atlantic Discography 1962 states Chicago).

It was her third single, "Hello Stranger", that broke through and was an R&B #1 and Hot 100 #3 hit in May 1963, for which The Dells sang backup on. It had a Bossa Nova tempo in vogue at the time. On the back of it's success an album of the same name was released on which she wrote all the songs and included all six sides of her first three singles. Only one of her next three singles entered the R&B chart, "Puppy Love", which had non-album track, "Snap Your Fingers", on the flip which charted separately. One of the non-charting singles "Someday We're Gonna Love Again" has been played on the Northern Soul scene and was covered by Liverpool beat group The Searchers who had a UK Top 20 pop chart hit with it reaching #11 in Jul 1964.

The reason several singles charted on the Hot 100 without registering on the R&B chart is because Billboard suspended the R&B Chart between Nov 1963 until then end of Jan 1965

Her next big hit was the Van McCoy written "Baby, I'm Yours" (R&B #5 / Hot 100 #11 Jun 1965). Backing vocals were provided by Van McCoy's girlfriend Kendra Spotswood who Northern Soulies will know as Sandi Sheldon. She followed it with another Bert Berns produced song "Make Me Your Baby" (#9 R&B /#11 Hot 100 Oct 1965). The latter song had been recorded earlier for Cameo Parkway by The Pixies Three (a white girl trio from Hanover, PA) but wasn't released, and when Lewis had a hit with it they abandoned it and not long after disbanded. However, it did see the light of day on a 2001 compilation "The Pixies Three – Our History". Another Lewis album ensued. "Baby, I'm Yours", which had a photo of a young white couple on the sleeve to sell to a white audience, it reached #7 R&B. Another album was sandwiched in between that one and the first titled "Snap Your Fingers" (1964) which mainly consisted of covers along with her non-hit singles and none of her own written material.

Her next single, "Don't Forget About Me", failed to chart followed by her last R&B charting single "Make Me Belong To You" which did better on the Hot 100 (#28) than the R&B (#36). She released another six singles and two albums for Atlantic, "It's Magic" (1966) which was jazz and pop standards and "Working On A Groovy Thing" (1968), and then joined Stax subsidiary Enterprise in 1969 and recorded fifteen tracks with Mike Terry in Detroit.        

At Stax she released one album "The Many Grooves of Barbara Lewis" in 1970 (which is a superb album throughout) and just three singles. The singles included three tracks not released on the album including a cover of Four Tops' "Ask The Lonely". No further chart action was achieved on the R&B singles chart.

She retired from the music business after her last single on Reprise in 1973 and will be best remembered for the song "Hello Stranger" which has been successfully covered by many, perhaps the best known by Yvonne Elliman who had a UK Top 30 hit (#26) with it in 1977, but there have also been versions by Martha & The Vandellas on "Heat Wave" 1963), Elkie Brooks (1964), also The Capitols (1966 on flip to "Cool Jerk"), The Supremes & Four Tops ("Dynamite" LP 1971), Carrie Lucas & The Whispers (1985 #20 R&B), and Queen Latifah (on "The Dana Owens Album" 2004) to name but a few. Lewis had to be tracked down after Elliman's hit with it as even her agent didn't know where to send the royalties. 

Her next biggest hit, the Van McCoy penned "Baby, I'm Yours", has also had many cover versions. Possibly the best known this side of the pond by Linda Lewis who had a UK pop #33 hit with it in 1976. But such Brit pop luminaries as Cilla Black and Petula Clark also had a bash at it, as did the likes of Cher, Jack Jones, Harry Nillson, Cass Elliot (The Mamas & The Papas), B.B. King, Billy Preston and K.C. & The Sunshine Band.

Lewis came out of retirement in the 90s playing the nostalgia circuit such as the Carolina Beach music scene and in 1999 received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017 she was forced into retirement with health issues.

Many compilations are available with perhaps the best being the latest in 2020 "Don't Forget About Me (The Atlantic & Reprise Recordings)" which does what it says on the tin. However, it obviously omits her Stax/Enterprise material, which was some of her best and doesn't seem to be available on any compilation, but the Enterprise album was reissue don CD in 1992/93.

Many of her songs have been played on the UK rare/Northern Soul scene over the years including "Someday We're Gonna Love Again", "I Remember the Feeling", "Love Makes The World Go Round", "I'll Make Him Love Me". "Thankful for What I Got", "Baby That's A No No", "How Can I Tell You", "Just The Way You Are Today", "You Made Me A Woman" "Ask The Lonely" and "The Stars".

Album Discography

Year	Title	Cat.No
1963	Hello Stranger	Atlantic #SD 8086
1964	Snap Your Fingers	Atlantic #8090
1965	Baby, I'm Yours	Atlantic #8110
1966	It's Magic	Atlantic #SD-8118
1968	Workin' on a Groovy Thing	Atlantic #SD 8173
1970	The Many Grooves of Barbara Lewis	Enterprise #ENS 1006

Singles Discography

Year	Title	Cat.No
1962-04	My Heart Went Do Dat Da / The Longest Night Of The Year	Karen #313 / Atlantic #45-2141
1962-08	My Mama Told Me / Gonna Love You Till The End Of Time	Atlantic #45-2159
1963-03	Hello Stranger /  Think A Little Sugar	Atlantic #45-2184
1963-07	Straighten Up Your Heart / If You Love Her	Atlantic #45-2200
1963-11	Puppy Love / Snap Your Fingers	Atlantic #45-2214
1964-04	Someday We're Gonna Love Again / Spend A Little Time	Atlantic #45-2227
1965-10	Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far / Come Home	Atlantic #45-2255
1965-03	Baby I'm Yours / I Say Love	Atlantic #45-2283
1965-08	Make Me Your Baby / Love To Be Loved	Atlantic #45-2300
1966-01	Don't Forget About Me / It's Magic	Atlantic #45-2316
1966-01	Baby I'm Yours EP A1: Baby I'm Yours / A2: My Heart Went Do Da Dat / A3: Puppy Love // B1: Hello Stranger / B2: Someday We're Gonna Love        Again B3: Snap Your Fingers	Atlantic #LSD 8110
1966-07	Make Me Belong To You / Girls Need Loving Care	Atlantic #45-2346
1966-10	Baby What Do You Want Me To Do / I Remember The Feeling	Atlantic #45-2361
1967-04	I'll Make Him Love Me / Love Makes The World Go Round	Atlantic #45-2400
1967-06	Only All The Time / Fool, Fool, Fool (Look In The Mirror)	Atlantic #45-2413
1968-02	Sho-Nuff (It's Got To Be Your Love) / Thankful For What I Got	Atlantic #45-2482
1968-05	I'll Keep Believing / On Bended Knees	Atlantic #45-2514
1968-08	You're A Dream Maker /  I'm All You've Got	Atlantic #45-2550
1970-03	Just The Way You Are Today / You Made Me A Woman	Enterprise #ENA-9012
1970-11	Ask The Lonely / Why Did It Take You So Long?	Enterprise #ENA-9027
1971-03	That's The Way I Like It(I Like It That Way) / Anyway	Enterprise #ENA-9029
1973-03	Rock And Roll Lullaby / I'm So Thankful	Reprise #REP 1146

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