Gary Lewis and The Playboys Vinyl Record Albums
Gary Lewis and the Playboys were a 1960s pop group, fronted by Gary Lewis, son of comedian Jerry Lewis.
The original group was composed of:
• Gary Lewis - Drums and vocals
• David Walker - Guitar
• Al Ramsay - Guitar
• David Costell - Lead Guitar
• John West - Keyboard
The band's membership changed drastically by the end of 1965, with only West and Lewis remaining. New members included Jimmy Trippelhorn, Carl Radle, and Jimmy Karstein.
According to John Morthland "producer Snuff Garrett...signed" the group "simply because he lived two doors down from Jerry Lewis in Bel Air and was intrigued by the idea of breaking a group fronted by the child of a celebrity" (Brackett 2000, p.3). Jerry Lewis then used his connections in the entertainment industry to land his son's group a spot on the Ed Sullivan Show in January, 1965. Almost immediately, their song "This Diamond Ring" hit #1 on the pop charts.
During 1965 and 1966, Gary Lewis and the Playboys released seven Top Ten songs.
• "This Diamond Ring"
• "Count Me In"
• "Save Your Heart For Me"
• "She's Just My Style"
• "Everybody Loves a Clown"
• "Sure Gonna Miss Her"
• "Green Grass"
The group's success was slowed drastically when Gary Lewis was drafted into the U.S. Army. He began in January 1967, and finished his service in 1968. Unfortunately, the psychedelic movement had captured the public's interest by that time, and the group never regained their former popularity.
