The MTV boy next door Huey Lewis charmed his way to the top of the charts with a straight ahead brand of rock 'n' roll that tasted great and was less filling. What started with "heart & sweat" in Northern California's country western bars culminated in the mid-'80s, when Lewis and his boys sold more than Ten million copies of their sing-along smash,Sports. Both criticized and cherished for its substance-free, conservative predictability, the music of Huey Lewis and the News is a reminder of the material world that perished at the hands of early '90s Seattle rock.
Born in 1951 in Mill Valley, Calif., as Hugh Anthony Cregg III. The future face of the 1980's would back pack around Europe after High School, eventually ending up back in the Bay Area Country Rock outfit Clover with Future News member Sean Hopper. The high point of Clover's career would see them getting a record deal (through fan Nick Lowe),shooting off to England & releasing to flop albums produced by Robert Mutt Lange, while gaining support tours with Thin Lizzy(of whom Phil Lynott would become a good friend).After over a decade of struggling to make their mark, Clover eventually split up with John Mcfee of the band joining th Doobie Brothers.
After once again heading back to the Bay Area where Lewis was determined to start his own back to basics R&B flavoured power pop bar band, Lewis and the then named American Express
started jamming at Uncle Charlies Monday Night Live session, recording a disco version of "Theme from Exodus" called "Exodisco," which then saw the band offered a contract by the British label Chrysalis, which insisted it ditch the name American Express. And so Huey Lewis and the News was born.
A self titled failure(ironically winning the Bammie award for best Debut album in 1980)was quickly followed by the respectable hit record Picture This in '82, a second try that contained the Top 10 smash "Do You Believe in Love" written by the now legendery Producer Robert John Mutt Lange which offered the bands first taste of chart success.Picture This peaked @ #13 & would later in the decade go on to be certified Gold.By 1983 The band was now ready to release their next record but Crysalis records were going through financial uncertainty, so Manager Bob Brown & band refused to hand over the master tapes to the album that would eventually be called Sports. As the band had to make a living they went on the road playing small clubs & called it the "working for a livin' tour".
Eventually Chrysalis re-organised & the Sports album was released to immediate commercial & critical success. Sports took Huey Lewis & The News from the boys next door to being International Superstars.
All told Sports would become one of the biggest selling records ever(10 million copies & counting)earning the band a Grammy Award nomination and Bammie Award for best album 1984, while giving the band four top ten hits including the Grammy winning Heart of rock 'n' roll & the million selling I want a new drug (which was latter pladgerised by Ray Parker Jnr for his GhostBusters theme, with Lewis & Parker eventually settling out of court). Sports would spend a mind boggling 3 years on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart & forever set Huey Lewis and The News in the minds of the public as the quintessential American rock band.
In early 1985 Lewis & co.secure a spot on the star studded "We Are the World" project for Ethiopian famine relief with Lewis getting a solo line originally intended for Prince, who was a no show.
In July 1985 the band scores their first No. 1 single with the acadmey award nominated "Power of Love," another million seller from the block buster film Back to the Future which see Lewis in a tounge in cheek cameo role.
Around this time Huey & gang gain the status of biggest selling band in the world & biggest gorssing stage act in America.
Huey Lewis and the News furnish a respectable follow-up to Sports with 1986's Fore!, which is another multi-platinum success,spawning five more Top 10 hits including the #1 hits "Stuck With You," and "Jacob's Ladder" (written by Bruce Hornsby).
The band also win best international act at the British music awards.
Then the band take a risk with the 1988 album,Small World.
The band's desire to stretch out & show that they can "really play" sees Huey introducing jazz/ska/regaee flavoured roots music to the bands sound & while most critics & fans aren't impressed Small World is certified Platinum within a month(peaking @ #11) and the Single Perfect World cracks the top ten.
The second single Small World with its message of living in harmony with each other is the bands first in a string of 12 singles to not crack the top 20 peaking @ #25.
The Small World tour and singles campaign lasts till 1989.
After a well deserved year off(no band has landed more singles in Billboards hot 100 top ten throughout the entire 80's)
and having parted with Crysalis Huey and the news now on EMI (America) release the back to basics Hard at Play which is immediately certified Gold (peaking @ #27 and goes on to become a million seller).Couple Days off ranks with the groups earlier hits peaking #11 on the billboard chart.
The band embark on yet another world tour.
In 1992 EMI is planning a hits collection, while Huey has other plans & the band again part ways with their record company. The Heart of rock & roll hits compliation is released in late 1992 around the world to commercial success, but is never relesed in the U.S.
In mid 1993 signing to Elektra, HLN release a radio only single "its alright" a tribute to Curtis Mayfield from People get ready:a Cutis Mayfield Tribute Album which to everyones surprise becomes a radio smash hit, crashing top ten lists on Billboards Adult Contemporary charts.
Huey also gains his first staring role in robert Altmans film Short Cuts, for which as part of the ensamble cast wins a golden globe award.
1994 sees the covers set "Four Chords & Several Years ago"(peaking @ #54)and producing two adult contemporary hits with Some kind of wonderful & But its alright. A rocky relationship with Elektra and lack of promotion sees the album never being certified Gold, before the release of an extremely overlooked retrospective in '96 Time Flies the best of Huey Lewis And The News(peaking @ #185).However the radio single 100 years from now is another Adult Contemporary top ten hit.
The band again parts ways with their label and the focus shifts to their still legendary and popular live performances.The band spends the rest of the 90's touring the u.s. every year while writing & trialing new material in between the old hits.
Eventually in 2000 Lewis resurfaces in the charts with a duet with non other than Gwenyth Paltrow(from their box office flop romantic comedy Duets) which tops the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts as well as the singles charts in Australia & New Zealand.
In July 2001 after 10 years in between albums of original material The News release the aptly title Plan B on Silvertone records to critical acclaim worlwide.While the record spawns no major hits and only peaks @ #165 on the billboard 200, consistent sales show the bands die-hard fanbase is still intact and the bands schedule of 80 or so U.S. concert dates a year shows the heart of rock 'n' roll is still beating just fine after all.
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