Happy Birthday to Huey Lewis, born July 5, 1950. Was there anyone who personified fun 1980s pop music more than Huey Lewis? Born Hugh Anthony Cregg III on July 5, 1950, he became the namesake and lead singer of the band Huey Lewis and the News, and one of the most recognizable performers in the world.
The News formed in the 70s after Lewis left the band Clover. Featuring Lewis’s raspy lead vocals, bar band vibe and fun approach to rock and roll music, the band formed a sizeable following in the Bay Area before being signed by Chrysalis Records in 1979. They scored their breakthrough hit three years later with the bopping rock-meets-soul single “Do You Believe In Love.”
That song paved the way for a monster follow up album. 1983’s Sports became one of the decade’s biggest releases and included hits such as “Heart and Soul,” “I Want a New Drug,” “The Heart of Rock & Roll” and “If This Is It.” They then scored with the radio hit “The Power of Love” from the smash movie Back to the Future, before going triple platinum with 1986’s Fore (a reference to Lewis’ hobby of golf) and its hits“Stuck with You,” “Hip to Be Square” and “Jacob’s Ladder.” Their sound combined rock, pop, soul, R&B and doo-wop influences, built around Lewis’s strong lead vocals and the band’s ensemble playing. And their lighthearted music videos were the perfect complement.
Lewis was also part of the all-star 1985 USA For Africa charity single “We Are the World” –being assigned a last minute solo vocal part in the song after Prince dropped out – and achieving a place in music history on the “Biggest Night In Pop Music.”
In later years, Lewis continued to record and perform with the News, though his career was affected by serious hearing problems. He has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with Ménière’s disease, which caused major hearing loss and made live performance difficult.
Huey Lewis’s music has aged nicely as a positive time capsule of a decade of music, and his reputation as a down-to-earth performer has won for him a legion of adoring fans that continues to this day.
By Chris Rizik
