Gary came in and did a corporate show for us a fundraiser. He was amazing the band was tight he was such a pleasant guy to talk to and hang out with. I also had the honor of hanging out with his wife the whole night of the show and on the whole thing was over in a crowds left she told Gary to sign a CD and give it to me. She was so appreciative of the hospitality she was given and Gary was so awesome I have a lot of respect for him.
Sat next to Gary Lewis on a plane from Chicago to LA . What a storyteller ! Told me about his early years , military service , and touched on his relationship with his Dad , Jerry . No animosity and just a super nice guy . Hope to catch him performing in the near future .
Lived on a dirt poor farm in the mid/late 60's but we had this old blue and white box transistor radio we'd listen to in the evenings. I would here Gary and his awesome s songs and said if I ever lived in the city I would buy his records. In Aug 1968 we moved from that turmoil and I was able to collect everything Gary & the Playboys recorded. I peddled an ice-cream cart🤭 to buy his records, and other great 60's music. Thanks Gary, your songs gave me hope!
We did a road trip when I was a child, summer of 1966, to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford museum. There was a motel stay, dinner in a diner and radio in the car, you had to be alive then to know how big these records were that summer.
From Steve Garcia 👉 Two days ago 04/13/24 I saw Gary Lewis and The Playboys at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Lewis was awesome...he is still a great, great singer. I hope to see him again. I had a great time.
Yes, they are on tour again! I just saw Gary Lewis and the Playboys at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas last month July 2021! Great show with great music!
@@randynarramore9598 Yeah this is the state of affairs of these old bands. We had been going to the Happy Together Tours for years and usually the acts are the original singer (or 2) of the hits with the same backup bands. The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman own it and run it. Now that Howard is ill they have replaced him with Ron Dante (the voice of the Archies) which finally made us quit...no Howard....no Turtles....what you are also seeing is that people buy the name of a band which makes them legally able to perform as them, whether they are original members or not. The Grass Roots and the Box Tops are like that and they even have interchangeable members. Grand Funk is out there without Mark Farner. The Guess Who has no original members. The drummer bought the rights to the name from the 2 main members for $250,000 and has control over it. He doesn't even play with them. Gary Lewis is ok because at least it is him...even though it is in dispute whether it was he who sang on the original recods...but that's another story...:)....I like his music though!
Saw Gary Lewis and the (current) Playboys at a 4th of July concert in Greece, NY (suburban Rochester, NY) this year. He sounded great and put on a great show !!
Lucky dog! These people are not going to be around much longer. Micky Dolenz is the last surviving member of the Monkees for example. Sad. Come to think of it, neither are we lol.
The group folded in 1970, but a version of the band later resumed touring and continues to tour, often playing for veterans' benefits. Gary Lewis & the Playboys in 1965.
Seen Gary and his Playboys in an Oldies Concert in about 2000 , with other 60's Bands , they put on a Good Show and Played their Hit Songs Well , it was Worth going to and seeing the other Bands Play as Well
I saw Gary Lewis at the Seneca Casino in Niagara Falls NY to a sold out audience in May 2021 He set up a table after the show and sold autographed CDs and memorabilia. Met everyone in the line. Very genuine. Paul from Toronto Canada aged 76 Great show Would go again
@@jaygold4467 my bro did all the piano playing after the other dude left--he was such a jerk nobody stayed around including my bro---it is all studio sound even today--his concerts are pre recorded
It was formula pop music written, produced and recorded by studio session artists who took no credit for it other than a days pay at union scale... Those songs were no more the product of Gary and his friends than they were the product of your Nova Scotian cover band.
@@larryrhindress2972 Willy's a troll, just ignore him and his negativity. If these bands were phony and "couldn't' play their instruments" (as willy claims), how did they go on tour and play to tens of thousands of people LIVE? Duh!! Before Gary's band became famous, Disney hired them to play at Disneyland and they had a full house every night! Then Snuff Garret got wind of them and had them record their first hit, "This Diamond Ring". So much for not knowing how to play, right Willy? Wikipedia states: "In a 2012 interview, Lewis confirmed that he and the Playboys "played ON every single track we ever did" And as for the Wrecking Crew.....MANY songs back in the '60s were added to and over-dubbed by them, most every music enthusiast knows this...this is not news at all.
USCG Brennen, Thank you for that. Not even sure why "naysayers" comment on something they do not like. They should just quietly move on. Take care and May God bless.
@@dalehood1846 We're listening to good music, no one claimed that the band was full of super stars1 Look at The Back Street Boys and the rest of the bands put together to produce money makin music. It's all OK and all good music! If you don't like that music, MOVE ON. Thanks Dale, you are right on!!!!!!! Poor Willard!
Do one on The Raiders. They were the first rock band to be signed up to Columbia records and outsold any other artist in the history of the lable with their hit " Indian Reservation" back in the summer of 1971 and in between that was a string of hits in the 60's of which 3 were featured in the movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood"
No mention of Jim Keltner who took over on drums from Gary in 1965 . Keltner became one of the most famous drummer in rock history. See him far left 00:15-00:21
I saw Gary Lewis and the Playboys around 1964 or 65 when they were on tour with Dick Clark's Where the Action Is Show. Other performers were Buddy Randall and the Knickerbockers and Paul Revere and the Raiders. This was my first concert to attend.
I'd like you to do one of your documentaries on Hal Blaine, the famous session drummer who did all the records for the Beach Boys and he played on a long list of famous and classic hits over the 1960's era. He worked with about every famous recording band and singer there ever was. Or so I've been told and I haven't any reason to doubt it. Point of interest, the GL&P song Just My Style, I was roller skating and that song was my inspiration for the courage to try and approach and hold hands with my big crush, pretty blonde Karen Sembach who became my fall in love steady girlfriend. We were both 14. That song will be forever dear to my heart. I'd have been otherwise too shy to approach Karen.
Some years back (...1980s?) Gary Lewis and The Playboys did a show at our middle high in sleepy little Medford, Oregon. We loved it. I sat near the stage in the front row because I had with me a copy of one of his vinyl albums and as soon as they were done, I hopped up on the stage and as they were leaving the stage, I said, "Hey Gary! Could you autograph your album for me?" He was happy to do so. Immediately thereafter, the security guards blocked anybody else from getting up on the stage. I got the drop on them and I can say I met Gary Lewis. Good guy. I still have the autographed album. =PC= (And the pen he used.)
these guys were a force for a while in the 60's and i had every 45 they put out. gary did not want to ride the coattails of his dad - jerry lewis - and hit the big time with great songs. just loved them. saw him with the happy together tour with all those other guys you mentioned. chuck negron and mark lindsay sounded great and the association was on the tour once as well - saw it 3 times. the cowsills were fantastic. the turtles were so so as it was only flo with no eddie. and to think that they went on to play with frank zappa ! strange days.
@@williardbillmore5713 Very true.. a few of them were "Music Manufacturing Machines".. "The Wrecking Crew" plus Ron Hicklin and his singers overdubbed so much, it makes the head spin..
@@1953childstar Formula art that is produced for the sole purpose of a predictable monetary profit reduces our humanity to humiliating marketing schemes. The real surprise is not that there are unscrupulous people who are willing to manipulate, but that so many are willing to be manipulated without even questioning any of it.
Saw them in the "Happy Together Tour" in Spokane back in '84. (Gary Lewis, Grassroots, Association, and the Turtles) Great groups putting on a great show.....
Radle was a well respected and accomplished session musician who was a hired gun in *one* live performance of the Playboys on the Mike Douglas show. Lewis' producer always used session musicians on their recordings and Garys friends pretended to play the songs to the pre recorded tracks. To say that Carl Radle was a "member " of the band the Playboys is absurd.
@@carlmassengale1027 Not only were the instruments pre recorded by studio musicians Lewis didn't even record the basic vocal tracks to his own recordings as the video's narrator revealed. This was a fake band. The music was faked , the vocals were faked and overly processed and if his dad wasn't pressuring venues and radio stations to feature and promote his son, none of us would ever have heard of this no talent bum. Radle appeared one time with this fake band on the Mike Douglas show, pretending to play live. If you watch that "performance" You will see that not only doesn't Lewis at least mime the drum fills but none of the electric instruments were plugged in anywhere. No amps, no microphones. Radle played bass on most of lewis' records and did the show on a lark. No real musician ever took this goofy phony band seriously. They weren't even a band, really. Just a handful of a celebrity's sons friends who wanted to pretend to be pop stars. Studio session musicians, like Radle, played every note you heard. A product of the bubblegum pop music production machine, they were nothing more than a precursor to the Archies...A cartoon act that no one had to draw...Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha If you thought they were wonderful ...you were duped. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Radle ua-cam.com/video/VF8i27iVrz4/v-deo.html
Early ‘70’s hauled my Hammond BV and Leslie to an informal gig Gary played at a condo complex in Encino Ca. He was growing his hair long and wanted to get more into blues etc 🎶
@@longabergerbychristina1434 Not an insult... Just an observation of weirdness.If they weren't playing their instruments why choose an accordion? Lots of rock groups had electric keyboard or organ players. The accordion made them look like Lawrence Welk... Ha ha ha ha ha ha
My wife and I met Gary in July 2005, in a back to back concert with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap billed "The Two Garys." There was a good natured argument over which Gary gave the better performance, and was personable. My wife hedged her bets on Puckett, but I knew Lewis had it all over him. Lewis' Playboys stole the show, and Lewis made it a double triumph when we met him after the concert, and he so enjoyed chatting with us. His father, Jerry, was so loving, and so fatherly, and his son, Gary, turned out just as cordial and a joy to have met. Gary Puckett, on the other hand, wasn't friendly at all. I found him haughty, and bordering on a rebuff. His Union Gap wasn't BAD, but they paled in light of Gary Lewis' Playboys. And of course, Puckett's somewhat impersonal manner left me with an uneasy feeling, like I was Lucy Ricardo victimizing him with her disastrous approach (Remember Cornel Wilde and Bill Holden?) My vote was, and remains on Gary Lewis and the Playboys to this day. Even Peter Tork (The Monkees) was as much a pleasure to meet a few years later, as was Bill Burkett (The Vogues) and Mark Volman (The Turtles), the latter of which I met at Smith Point Beach, who did a three act concert with Three Dog Night, and Gary Puckett's "Band", the latter of which I didn't meet then, and perhaps that's the way, thankfully, it was!!
Over all, Puckett is great singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist and the original band in the late 60's and early 70's were all outstanding musicians . GL and the Playboys had some great records but musicianship-wise couldn't hold a candle the the Union Gap.
he did not give credit to all the places he found the data though..but heck..i wanna know more about this story on dna stuff on jerry lewis’s offspring
They were the Monkees before the Monkees. Didn't write the songs, didn't play on the hit records, Like most boy bands then and now, they were just an "act". Their Producer, Snuff Garrett found the hit songs, and who produced their records, was really the sole reason for their success.
@@jameslosangeles1068 On their first release, "This Diamond Ring" Snuff Garrett didn't think Gary's voice was good enough. So he had another vocalist sing the song, and then mixed his and Gary's vocals together and enhanced it for the final vocal track.
I learned something new after all these years. They never played their own instruments nor sang outside of Gary. They were essentially the Partridge Family.
Not unlike the fictitious cartoon group the Archies. Everything you heard was session musicians on the recordings while Gary's friends pretended to play to pre recorded tapes on TV. It was phoney formula bubblegum pop music.
They did perform, playing their own instruments when performing live at Disneyland before they were discovered by Snuff Garrett. So they weren’t really “another Partridge Family”.
@@michaelmckenna6464 Garrett smelled that there was money to be made when he learned that this was Jerry Lewis' kid. He knew he couldn't do anything with them if they sounded as bad on records as they did live at Disneyland, so he booked time with a bunch of session artists and a good singer to record what would be promoted on radio and TV using Lewis' name. They weren't the Partridge Family... they were far worse... David Cassidy and Shirley Jones could actually sing. Lewis' thin and flat voice had to be double and triple tracked over a studio session singer's basic track to make it bearable to listen to.
I saw them in Worcester MA, in 1965ish. Not really sure! My girlfriend and I chased the limo a bit after the concert. 🤣🤣 It was my first rock and roll concert!!! ☺️💗
Carl Radle ... "who died in 1980"??? How about that he was the bassist with Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Bobby Whitlock and Jim Gordon (aka, Derek and the Dominos) on one of THE greatest rock albums of all time, the 1970-released, "Layla and other love songs"????
The Wrecking Crew made that song This Diamond Ring. In fact Hal Blaine's drumming is the real star of the song. By the I can remember a Jerry Lewis movie where Jerry is listening to this song.
When they played Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ I was there and met them afterwards on a side street. We talked for 20 minutes. I was in jr high school...
And an unknown comic at the time was warmup - Rodney Dangerfield doing his 'no respect' routine. Wanted to see the guys as I too played a Cordovox at the time.
Oh, that is a pretty stupid misapprehension. The Beatles were highly produced, very much others credited and not on the records. The first example is the influence and contribution of George Martin. Down to their last session, impossible without Billy Preston. One could argue, The Beach Boys, the Monkees, others connected to the LA studios had heavier musicians on them than the Beatles records.This is not a dig at the Beatles, only your ridiculous statement.
Yes they were. It's an obscure film, from 1965, rushed out, probably played drive-ins. Called "A Swingin' Summer" It also features The Righteous Brothers. Gary's guitar player really cuts loose in one number ("Nitro") and was really good. They do not sing any hits. The movie also includes The Rip Chords and a young Raquel Welch, pre-fame, singing a number.
I wouldn't call them a rock band , but pop band with very good songs.. Gary's voice was mediocre at best , but the songs and arrangements were first class
He told us we er spoke with him after his concert that he lived near Rochester, NY which is about 3 1/hours from where I live. He was do very personable and down to earth. Would love to have him return to this area. Always loved his music!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Your material is fine. You need a coach for your deliver. I went the high school with Flo and Eddie, who were in a band known as the Crossfires. They went on to become The Turtles. Some band members were classmates of mine at UCLA, where I met Linda Ronstadt. Try researching Bill Haley and the Comets. I ran into a member playing at an airport lounge at Bradley International Airport.
If Gary Lewis was overdubbed by Ron Hicklin and "The Wrecking Crew" did the instrumentals, this was really an "artificial group"… ( Lewis was not a Vietnam Veteran, he served in a safe, non combat zone in Korea )...
Saw Gary in Sylvania Ohio (Toledo) a few years back with the Happy Together Tour, Great Show and perfect fit. Hope he comes back. I think John Sébastien would be a great fit to the act as well. H÷y , what's up with the Loving John these days?
I am an international viewer. Is it me or is the narrator's pronunciations abit weird? I can't really understand what the narrator was saying in certain parts of his speech
*TODAY 4/28/2023 HOW CAN GARY AND BAND GO 53 PLUS YEARS WITHOUT WRITING NEW MUSIC, NEW SONGS? WHY DID THEY CUT THEMSELVES SHORT NOT WRITING NEW MUSIC? WHY CUT THEIR FANS SHORT NOT MAKING NEW MUSIC? C'MON SAME FEW SONGS OVER 53 YEARS, BAND AND GARY WERE YOUNG, ARE YOUNG, DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY NEVER WROTE MORE MUSIC, FOR FANS AND THEMSELVES*
@@larryrhindress2972 Yes. To be fair, on the same mic as Gary. Then on a separate mic for all the harmonies and another unison. Snuff Garrett buried Gary Lewis two levels deep in the mix under Ron Hicklin. Listen to Gary Lewis singing "Sealed With A Kiss". The original version. That's actually Gary Lewis real voice. Couldn't sing a note on key.
What a video on what happened to the "buggle-gum" bands of the 60's such as 1910 Fruitgum company? Or The Royal Guardsman and the list goes on. They did not reach the status, (guess that is the word I want) of other groups, but they still had/have a group of fans who would like to know what they are doing.
@@whathappenedtothem_ I really think "bubblegum" pop is still around just goes by a different name. That age group is still out there. Too old for nursery rhymes, but too young for the hard rock groups. Or just not interested in them yet. I wanted a video on what happened the the "bubble gum" groups. groups like THE 1910 FRUITGUM COM. ROYAL GUARDSMAN, ETC. What did they do when they left they left the group or when the group disbanded for good. How many are still alive who is in R&R Heaven. When did they enter R&R heaven. They never reached the status to become "rock Royalty like the Beatles, Stones, etc. They will NEVER get into the Rock Hall of Fame nor any other hall of fame. They are "rock royalty " to their fans and, I guess, that is all that really matters to them. Considering the type of music they played is the reason they will never get into the Rock Hall. I suppose they don't care either.
I'm sorry dude, don't mean to be negative. I've watched many of your videos and have come to the conclusion you need to narrate your videos better. Your voice trails off and it's hard to understand what you're saying many times. And one can tell you're reading from a script. You pause, fumble words, etc.. One video I watched it sounded like you had just woken up. I've enjoyed all the videos I've watched so far. They are really good and well researched. But dang, it's painful getting through the narration. But at the end of the day, you've got several thousand subscribers, and thousands and thousands of views. So you're doing something right. What do I know.
besides the hits they had quite a few excellent flip sides & album tracks like "Little Miss Gogo" & "Without a Word Of warning". In addition later singles like "Where Will the Words come From?" &"The Loser" are excellent!! He still performs far as I know.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Gary came in and did a corporate show for us a fundraiser. He was amazing the band was tight he was such a pleasant guy to talk to and hang out with. I also had the honor of hanging out with his wife the whole night of the show and on the whole thing was over in a crowds left she told Gary to sign a CD and give it to me. She was so appreciative of the hospitality she was given and Gary was so awesome I have a lot of respect for him.
Nice memories! Seems like a cool guy in interviews
I love Gary he is a nice artist and have a lots of fans ❤️😊👍
I just saw Gary Lewis last night in California with other bands. He's still going strong.
Glad to hear that. I’m hoping to catch his act someday.
@@philbrown1474 I would pay big bucks to see them!!!
Sat next to Gary Lewis on a plane from Chicago to LA . What a storyteller ! Told me about his early years , military service , and touched on his relationship with his Dad , Jerry . No animosity and just a super nice guy . Hope to catch him performing in the near future .
Lived on a dirt poor farm in the mid/late 60's but we had this old blue and white box transistor radio we'd listen to in the evenings. I would here Gary and his awesome s songs and said if I ever lived in the city I would buy his records. In Aug 1968 we moved from that turmoil and I was able to collect everything Gary & the Playboys recorded. I peddled an ice-cream cart🤭 to buy his records, and other great 60's music. Thanks Gary, your songs gave me hope!
Really enjoyed this video. Thank you. The Playboys had many nice songs I remember from when they were first released.
We did a road trip when I was a child, summer of 1966, to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford museum. There was a motel stay, dinner in a diner and radio in the car, you had to be alive then to know how big these records were that summer.
To a child WWE wrestling is a big deal too
From Steve Garcia 👉 Two days ago 04/13/24 I saw Gary Lewis and The Playboys at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Lewis was awesome...he is still a great, great singer. I hope to see him again. I had a great time.
Yes, they are on tour again! I just saw Gary Lewis and the Playboys at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas last month July 2021! Great show with great music!
It was just Gary Lewis and some back up guys
@@richbailey8174 I understand what you mean. I just saw the Grassroots Friday night. Yes, none were the originals.
@@randynarramore9598 Yeah this is the state of affairs of these old bands. We had been going to the Happy Together Tours for years and usually the acts are the original singer (or 2) of the hits with the same backup bands. The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman own it and run it. Now that Howard is ill they have replaced him with Ron Dante (the voice of the Archies) which finally made us quit...no Howard....no Turtles....what you are also seeing is that people buy the name of a band which makes them legally able to perform as them, whether they are original members or not. The Grass Roots and the Box Tops are like that and they even have interchangeable members. Grand Funk is out there without Mark Farner. The Guess Who has no original members. The drummer bought the rights to the name from the 2 main members for $250,000 and has control over it. He doesn't even play with them. Gary Lewis is ok because at least it is him...even though it is in dispute whether it was he who sang on the original recods...but that's another story...:)....I like his music though!
@@randynarramore9598 Grass Roots is only a tribute band!
@@richbailey8174 Also LITTLE RIVER BAND - no original members (who want to tour, but cannot use LRB) just shabby tribute band - stay away!!!
Back in the day his music was very much the soundtrack of my young years. Love his music.
We had the 45 of his no. 1 hit.
Saw Gary Lewis and the (current) Playboys at a 4th of July concert in Greece, NY (suburban Rochester, NY) this year. He sounded great and put on a great show !!
Lucky dog! These people are not going to be around much longer. Micky Dolenz is the last surviving member of the Monkees for example. Sad. Come to think of it, neither are we lol.
The group folded in 1970, but a version of the band later resumed touring and continues to tour, often playing for veterans' benefits. Gary Lewis & the Playboys in 1965.
Seen Gary and his Playboys in an Oldies Concert in about 2000 , with other 60's Bands , they put on a Good Show and Played their Hit Songs Well , it was Worth going to and seeing the other Bands Play as Well
I saw Gary Lewis at the Seneca Casino in Niagara Falls NY to a sold out audience in May 2021 He set up a table after the show and sold autographed CDs and memorabilia. Met everyone in the line. Very genuine. Paul from Toronto Canada aged 76 Great show Would go again
Wow, what a great experience!
I used to be a huge fan of GL & d playboys. His voice so soothing to my ear. Fantastic group
I listened to them in the 70's when i was a kid, They were a Great Band, too bad the Musicians didn't play on the songs.
I'm 75 and still listen to them and enjoy them even more!!!
@@MetalHeart8787 Except that wasn't his voice. It was Ron Hicklin in the studio.
@@jaygold4467 my bro did all the piano playing after the other dude left--he was such a jerk nobody stayed around including my bro---it is all studio sound even today--his concerts are pre recorded
Thanks. You always come up with some noteworthy facts that I was never aware of.
Grew up with their music and played it in a teenage band in Nova Scotia. Great music!!!!!
It was formula pop music written, produced and recorded by studio session artists who took no credit for it other than a days pay at union scale... Those songs were no more the product of Gary and his friends than they were the product of your Nova Scotian cover band.
@@williardbillmore5713 I knew that, however, it was easy to listen to. Thanks for the reply Willard!!
@@larryrhindress2972 Willy's a troll, just ignore him and his negativity. If these bands were phony and "couldn't' play their instruments" (as willy claims), how did they go on tour and play to tens of thousands of people LIVE? Duh!! Before Gary's band became famous, Disney hired them to play at Disneyland and they had a full house every night! Then Snuff Garret got wind of them and had them record their first hit, "This Diamond Ring". So much for not knowing how to play, right Willy? Wikipedia states: "In a 2012 interview, Lewis confirmed that he and the Playboys "played ON every single track we ever did" And as for the Wrecking Crew.....MANY songs back in the '60s were added to and over-dubbed by them, most every music enthusiast knows this...this is not news at all.
USCG Brennen, Thank you for that. Not even sure why "naysayers" comment on something they do not like. They should just quietly move on. Take care and May God bless.
@@dalehood1846 We're listening to good music, no one claimed that the band was full of super stars1 Look at The Back Street Boys and the rest of the bands put together to produce money makin music. It's all OK and all good music! If you don't like that music, MOVE ON. Thanks Dale, you are right on!!!!!!! Poor Willard!
Do one on The Raiders.
They were the first rock band to be signed up to Columbia records and outsold any other artist in the history of the lable with their hit " Indian Reservation" back in the summer of 1971 and in between that was a string of hits in the 60's of which 3 were featured in the movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood"
I will do them in the future.
Al Kooper [Blood, Sweat & Tears] was a co writer of This Diamond Ring
It's true, it was hard to hear him too
I was looking forward to this video, but the narrator's diction is so bad I can't understand him half the time.
Amen! I’m gone! 😱
You're right . . . he is terrible!
I thought it was just me!
The dude is literally reading from copy and badly at that
Get another narrator
No mention of Jim Keltner who took over on drums from Gary in 1965 . Keltner became one of the most famous drummer in rock history. See him far left 00:15-00:21
I saw Gary Lewis and the Playboys around 1964 or 65 when they were on tour with Dick Clark's Where the Action Is Show. Other performers were Buddy Randall and the Knickerbockers and Paul Revere and the Raiders. This was my first concert to attend.
Eight straight top ten hits!
I'd like you to do one of your documentaries on Hal Blaine, the famous session drummer who did all the records for the Beach Boys and he played on a long list of famous and classic hits over the 1960's era. He worked with about every famous recording band and singer there ever was. Or so I've been told and I haven't any reason to doubt it. Point of interest, the GL&P song Just My Style, I was roller skating and that song was my inspiration for the courage to try and approach and hold hands with my big crush, pretty blonde Karen Sembach who became my fall in love steady girlfriend. We were both 14. That song will be forever dear to my heart. I'd have been otherwise too shy to approach Karen.
LOVED THEM!!! STILL DO!!❤️❤️
Gary lives in Rochester New York right now. I have met him many times and he does a lot of special occasion concerts
Michael, if you ever see him again, please say hello from Larry from Nova Scotia and that we love his music!!!
Hooray,a HUMAN narrator 👍🏽👍🏽
Some years back (...1980s?) Gary Lewis and The Playboys did a show at our middle high in sleepy little Medford, Oregon. We loved it. I sat near the stage in the front row because I had with me a copy of one of his vinyl albums and as soon as they were done, I hopped up on the stage and as they were leaving the stage, I said, "Hey Gary! Could you autograph your album for me?" He was happy to do so.
Immediately thereafter, the security guards blocked anybody else from getting up on the stage. I got the drop on them and I can say I met Gary Lewis. Good guy. I still have the autographed album. =PC= (And the pen he used.)
Great story! How lucky can you get.
This was so interesting. Thanks for the research!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The Wrecking Crew. Were Gary Lewis and the Playboys but the music was great
Going to see him in Sept (yes, 2021)!
have lots of fun!
these guys were a force for a while in the 60's and i had every 45 they put out. gary did not want to ride the coattails of his dad - jerry lewis - and hit the big time with great songs. just loved them. saw him with the happy together tour with all those other guys you mentioned. chuck negron and mark lindsay sounded great and the association was on the tour once as well - saw it 3 times. the cowsills were fantastic. the turtles were so so as it was only flo with no eddie. and to think that they went on to play with frank zappa ! strange days.
Sounds like a nightmare of phony acts.
@@williardbillmore5713 Very true.. a few of them were "Music Manufacturing Machines".. "The Wrecking Crew" plus Ron Hicklin and his singers overdubbed so much, it makes the head spin..
@@1953childstar Formula art that is produced for the sole purpose of a predictable monetary profit reduces our humanity to humiliating marketing schemes.
The real surprise is not that there are unscrupulous people who are willing to manipulate, but that so many are willing to be manipulated without even questioning any of it.
@@williardbillmore5713 So true !!!
Saw them in the "Happy Together Tour" in Spokane back in '84. (Gary Lewis, Grassroots, Association, and the Turtles) Great groups putting on a great show.....
Should mention that Carl Radle, the bass player, was later in Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton.
Delaney and Bonnie as well...
Radle was a well respected and accomplished session musician who was a hired gun in *one* live performance of the Playboys on the Mike Douglas show.
Lewis' producer always used session musicians on their recordings and Garys friends pretended to play the songs to the pre recorded tracks.
To say that Carl Radle was a "member " of the band the Playboys is absurd.
@@williardbillmore5713 Friend, Carl Radle is pictured numerous times with Lewis and the group throughout this video.
@@carlmassengale1027 Not only were the instruments pre recorded by studio musicians Lewis didn't even record the basic vocal tracks to his own recordings as the video's narrator revealed.
This was a fake band. The music was faked , the vocals were faked and overly processed and if his dad wasn't pressuring venues and radio stations to feature and promote his son, none of us would ever have heard of this no talent bum.
Radle appeared one time with this fake band on the Mike Douglas show, pretending to play live. If you watch that "performance" You will see that not only doesn't Lewis at least mime the drum fills but none of the electric instruments were plugged in anywhere. No amps, no microphones. Radle played bass on most of lewis' records and did the show on a lark.
No real musician ever took this goofy phony band seriously. They weren't even a band, really. Just a handful of a celebrity's sons friends who wanted to pretend to be pop stars. Studio session musicians, like Radle, played every note you heard.
A product of the bubblegum pop music production machine, they were nothing more than a precursor to the Archies...A cartoon act that no one had to draw...Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
If you thought they were wonderful ...you were duped.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Radle
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@@williardbillmore5713 I think you're wrong-Carl had a long history with Gary
Early ‘70’s hauled my Hammond BV and Leslie to an informal gig Gary played at a condo complex in Encino Ca. He was growing his hair long and wanted to get more into blues etc 🎶
My Uncle Johnny West played in the band. He played the cordovox ❤
An accordian player in a rock band. I remember seeing them on TV as a 1st / 2nd grader and remember the accordian guy, your Uncle!
Seriously, how many rock bands had an accordion in them unless it was a joke like weird Al Yankovic?
@@williardbillmore5713 ooook , lol. What does it matter now 🤣 If that was supposed to be an insult, you failed. Try again
@@longabergerbychristina1434 Not an insult... Just an observation of weirdness.If they weren't playing their instruments why choose an accordion?
Lots of rock groups had electric keyboard or organ players. The accordion made them look like Lawrence Welk... Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Although John West allegedly ‘played’ an accordion, that instrument doesn’t feature in any of their songs
Found a great copy of their greatest hits on vinyl Yes I own a turntable
Have that in great shape.
A 45?
@@ricklatouch2263 33 & a third is album speed. 45 rpm is singles.
My wife and I met Gary in July 2005, in a back to back concert with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap billed "The Two Garys." There was a good natured argument over which Gary gave the better performance, and was personable. My wife hedged her bets on Puckett, but I knew Lewis had it all over him. Lewis' Playboys stole the show, and Lewis made it a double triumph when we met him after the concert, and he so enjoyed chatting with us. His father, Jerry, was so loving, and so fatherly, and his son, Gary, turned out just as cordial and a joy to have met. Gary Puckett, on the other hand, wasn't friendly at all. I found him haughty, and bordering on a rebuff. His Union Gap wasn't BAD, but they paled in light of Gary Lewis' Playboys. And of course, Puckett's somewhat impersonal manner left me with an uneasy feeling, like I was Lucy Ricardo victimizing him with her disastrous approach (Remember Cornel Wilde and Bill Holden?) My vote was, and remains on Gary Lewis and the Playboys to this day. Even Peter Tork (The Monkees) was as much a pleasure to meet a few years later, as was Bill Burkett (The Vogues) and Mark Volman (The Turtles), the latter of which I met at Smith Point Beach, who did a three act concert with Three Dog Night, and Gary Puckett's "Band", the latter of which I didn't meet then, and perhaps that's the way, thankfully, it was!!
Yeah, so loving and fatherly that Jerry left him out of his will!
When I saw Gary Puckett, he lost a certain amount of his vocals. That Johnny Mathis sound wasn't there. He would masked it at times.
Over all, Puckett is great singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist and the original band in the late 60's and early 70's were all outstanding musicians . GL and the Playboys had some great records but musicianship-wise couldn't hold a candle the the Union Gap.
How about doing a segment on Quicksilver Messenger Service?
Wish you would have included some of his music in your article....
Have you done one on Mark Lindsay? You do some awesome research. Keep up the good work.
he did not give credit to all the places he found the data though..but heck..i wanna know more about this story on dna stuff on jerry lewis’s offspring
They were the Monkees before the Monkees. Didn't write the songs, didn't play on the hit records, Like most boy bands then and now, they were just an "act". Their Producer, Snuff Garrett found the hit songs, and who produced their records, was really the sole reason for their success.
When you hear Gary live it sounds nothing like the records. I wonder if he even sang on the recordings ... ❔🎶
@@jameslosangeles1068 On their first release, "This Diamond Ring" Snuff Garrett didn't think Gary's voice was good enough. So he had another vocalist sing the song, and then mixed his and Gary's vocals together and enhanced it for the final vocal track.
@@alexyamach3635 - Interesting. Thanks 🎶 👌
@@alexyamach3635 That singer was Ron Hicklin
Yet they are credited on the session logs.
My friend Dave Costell was the original lead guitarist
I learned something new after all these years. They never played their own instruments nor sang outside of Gary. They were essentially the Partridge Family.
Not unlike the fictitious cartoon group the Archies. Everything you heard was session musicians on the recordings while Gary's friends pretended to play to pre recorded tapes on TV.
It was phoney formula bubblegum pop music.
They did perform, playing their own instruments when performing live at Disneyland before they were discovered by Snuff Garrett. So they weren’t really “another Partridge Family”.
@@michaelmckenna6464 Garrett smelled that there was money to be made when he learned that this was Jerry Lewis' kid. He knew he couldn't do anything with them if they sounded as bad on records as they did live at Disneyland, so he booked time with a bunch of session artists and a good singer to record what would be promoted on radio and TV using Lewis' name.
They weren't the Partridge Family... they were far worse...
David Cassidy and Shirley Jones could actually sing.
Lewis' thin and flat voice had to be double and triple tracked over a studio session singer's basic track to make it bearable to listen to.
@@williardbillmore5713 😂😂
Yet, they did play their own instruments
I saw them in Worcester MA, in 1965ish. Not really sure! My girlfriend and I chased the limo a bit after the concert. 🤣🤣 It was my first rock and roll concert!!! ☺️💗
So cool!
Well that was cool... Maybe we will do a cover of one of their tunes! Liked and subscribed🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦
actual Jerry’s kid 👍
Say something nice they persecuting yer dad here.
Carl Radle ... "who died in 1980"??? How about that he was the bassist with Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Bobby Whitlock and Jim Gordon (aka, Derek and the Dominos) on one of THE greatest rock albums of all time, the 1970-released, "Layla and other love songs"????
Saw them in 1969 while stationed in Thailand,thought they were great..
Well done thank you for the great info
Glad it was helpful!
The Wrecking Crew made that song This Diamond Ring. In fact Hal Blaine's drumming is the real star of the song. By the I can remember a Jerry Lewis movie where Jerry is listening to this song.
With Ron Hicklin overdubbing Gary Lewis singing !!!
When they played Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ I was there and met them afterwards on a side street. We talked for 20 minutes. I was in jr high school...
And an unknown comic at the time was warmup - Rodney Dangerfield doing his 'no respect' routine. Wanted to see the guys as I too played a Cordovox at the time.
I like the group God bless you all
great video. great narration. I've noticed gary switched playing drums to guitar.
He played neither guitar or drums on the recordings.
It was a novelty act.
Great song this diamond ring written by Irwin levine n al Kooper in 1964- 5 for Gary Lewis and the playboys first album for the band in 1965 🤷👍
Thanks for the mention.
1:11 You mispronounced the word "Timpani" The emphasis is on the first syllable.
Work on you narration skills if you want your channel to grow. You can do it. Keep practicing BEFORE recording the final track.
A great video. Thanks.
I'm glad he's still working, but he did do a car dealership when his group went down.
Gary got drafted. He served, unlike many of his contemporaries. Al Kooper did not like Lewis' version of his song.
Al Kooper rather than Mike Bloomfield...
@@beink Correct. I visualized Kooper while typing Bloomfield.
@@thomasrobinson182 Both great musicians
Gary Lewis was not a Vietnam veteran.. He served in a safe no combat area of Korea...
@@1953childstar I get that you obviously don't like Gary Lewis. He was drafted in January, 1967 and was stationed in Seoul. He served, as I stated.
8/2023 Love GaryLewis. Will he be coming to Michigan in the near future?
The Beatles didn't have a Wrecking Crew nor did they need them.
🎶 I am learning many 1960's groups were actually "fake" using session players - even some vocals were dubbed . 😏´´
Yes they did. The Beatles were terrible
Oh, that is a pretty stupid misapprehension. The Beatles were highly produced, very much others credited and not on the records. The first example is the influence and contribution of George Martin. Down to their last session, impossible without Billy Preston. One could argue, The Beach Boys, the Monkees, others connected to the LA studios had heavier musicians on them than the Beatles records.This is not a dig at the Beatles, only your ridiculous statement.
Don't tell me you've never heard of Bernard Purdey. Get back to me when you know who he is.
@@rabfallon4507 you mean black Ringo?
I would like, what happened to The Doors? Thanks
Wasn't the GL AND THE PLAYBOYS band on one of those"Beach Blanket" movies?
No, but they were briefly in a Jerry Lewis movie called The Family Jewels.
Yes they were. It's an obscure film, from 1965, rushed out, probably played drive-ins. Called "A Swingin' Summer" It also features The Righteous Brothers. Gary's guitar player really cuts loose in one number ("Nitro") and was really good. They do not sing any hits. The movie also includes The Rip Chords and a young Raquel Welch, pre-fame, singing a number.
Those boys did good.
Dude, do you ever even peek at the copy first before you try to give it a read-thru?
Awesome under rated rock band. Have their records and have to hear them every once in awhile!
I wouldn't call them a rock band , but pop band with very good songs.. Gary's voice was mediocre at best , but the songs and arrangements were first class
Have you done a video on Bobby Vee? He was awsome
What Happened to Bobby Vee?
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Never knew Jerry Lewis lived in a small community just a half hour drive from where I lived.
He told us we er spoke with him after his concert that he lived near Rochester, NY which is about 3 1/hours from where I live. He was do very personable and down to earth. Would love to have him return to this area. Always loved his music!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
When we spoke to him after his concert (darn arthritis) ps excuse any other typos👍
Who's this Tim Panny you mention?
Your material is fine. You need a coach for your deliver.
I went the high school with Flo and Eddie, who were in a band known as the Crossfires. They went on to become The Turtles. Some band members were classmates of mine at UCLA, where I met Linda Ronstadt.
Try researching Bill Haley and the Comets. I ran into a member playing at an airport lounge at Bradley International Airport.
WOW Diane, you are so fortunate!!!!
reading from a paper is rough at times ?
Gary is really a very nice guy.
Badley read Dude ! You need to rehearse yourself before recording ,and ,Maybe even Get someone Else to read it ! Sorry dude ,this Is show business .
If Gary Lewis was overdubbed by Ron Hicklin and "The Wrecking Crew" did the instrumentals, this was really an "artificial group"… ( Lewis was not a Vietnam Veteran, he served in a safe, non combat zone in Korea )...
The Wrecking Crew helped them a Ton.
They did it alll !!!
Can you do a video on Bobby Goldsboro pleas?
Saw Gary in Sylvania Ohio (Toledo) a few years back with the Happy Together Tour, Great Show and perfect fit. Hope he comes back. I think John Sébastien would be a great fit to the act as well. H÷y , what's up with the Loving John these days?
Here is a link to a video I did on the Lovin’ Spoonful: ua-cam.com/video/UQMknCp8_dA/v-deo.html
How about doing one on Paul Revere and the Raiders? So sad that they didn't play on their biggest song? Weird.
Here's the link to the Paul Revere and the Raiders video: ua-cam.com/video/vMMFXvITGzg/v-deo.html
The narrator needs to stick to reading cereal boxes! 😜
I am an international viewer. Is it me or is the narrator's pronunciations abit weird? I can't really understand what the narrator was saying in certain parts of his speech
We still have many of his records.
*TODAY 4/28/2023 HOW CAN GARY AND BAND GO 53 PLUS YEARS WITHOUT WRITING NEW MUSIC, NEW SONGS? WHY DID THEY CUT THEMSELVES SHORT NOT WRITING NEW MUSIC? WHY CUT THEIR FANS SHORT NOT MAKING NEW MUSIC? C'MON SAME FEW SONGS OVER 53 YEARS, BAND AND GARY WERE YOUNG, ARE YOUNG, DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY NEVER WROTE MORE MUSIC, FOR FANS AND THEMSELVES*
They look like a polka band
What happened to the Grass Roots ?
Ron Hicklin, the real lead singer of Gary Lewis and The Playboys.
Did Ron sing all of the hit songs??
@@larryrhindress2972 Yes. To be fair, on the same mic as Gary. Then on a separate mic for all the harmonies and another unison. Snuff Garrett buried Gary Lewis two levels deep in the mix under Ron Hicklin. Listen to Gary Lewis singing "Sealed With A Kiss". The original version. That's actually Gary Lewis real voice. Couldn't sing a note on key.
@@wyatt1153 I know! Thanks Wyatt! You just want to think that it was all real!
@@wyatt1153 _' Ron Hicklin and the Wrecking Crew 🎶'_
🎶 _Ron Hicklin and the Wrecking Crew_ 😉👌
Great info. Re-record the narrative.
Gary had a hit and didnt have to do **** $#** for Murry the K. Song was a smash, rest is history.....
hard to follow so what happened?
I get you weren't alive when Hullabaloo was on, but you could have checked the pronunciation before you recorded this.
What happened to jerry lewis
What happened to Owen joyner
Leon Russel ?
What a video on what happened to the "buggle-gum" bands of the 60's such as 1910 Fruitgum company? Or The Royal Guardsman and the list goes on. They did not reach the status, (guess that is the word I want) of other groups, but they still had/have a group of fans who would like to know what they are doing.
Interesting idea. Do you want more videos on “bubblegum” bands of the ’60s, or do you want a specific video on what happened to 60’s “bubblegum pop”?
@@whathappenedtothem_ I really think "bubblegum" pop is still around just goes by a different name. That age group is still out there. Too old for nursery rhymes, but too young for the hard rock groups. Or just not interested in them yet.
I wanted a video on what happened the the "bubble gum" groups. groups like THE 1910 FRUITGUM COM. ROYAL GUARDSMAN, ETC. What did they do when they left they left the group or when the group disbanded for good. How many are still alive who is in R&R Heaven. When did they enter R&R heaven. They never reached the status to become "rock Royalty like the Beatles, Stones, etc. They will NEVER get into the Rock Hall of Fame nor any other hall of fame. They are "rock royalty " to their fans and, I guess, that is all that really matters to them. Considering the type of music they played is the reason they will never get into the Rock Hall. I suppose they don't care either.
@@whathappenedtothem_ Ya, Snoopy & the Red Baron!
What Happened to 1910 Fruitgum Company?
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What happened to Austin Roberts?
gpogle him
1:10. Tim-Pan-nee??? Seriously dude? You don’t recognize the musical instrument / word “tympani”? I can’t.
Photo shown here is not the Orig group!
I'm sorry dude, don't mean to be negative. I've watched many of your videos and have come to the conclusion you need to narrate your videos better. Your voice trails off and it's hard to understand what you're saying many times. And one can tell you're reading from a script. You pause, fumble words, etc.. One video I watched it sounded like you had just woken up. I've enjoyed all the videos I've watched so far. They are really good and well researched. But dang, it's painful getting through the narration. But at the end of the day, you've got several thousand subscribers, and thousands and thousands of views. So you're doing something right. What do I know.
besides the hits they had quite a few excellent flip sides & album tracks like "Little Miss Gogo" & "Without a Word Of warning". In addition later singles like "Where Will the Words come From?" &"The Loser" are excellent!! He still performs far as I know.
Didn't the Grass Roots do a version of Where will the words come from?