Smiley Lewis
Wikimp3 information about the music of Smiley Lewis. On our website we have 70 albums and 70 collections of artist Smiley Lewis. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Smiley Lewis represents Pop genres.
Biography
[Edit]Dave Bartholomew has often been quoted to the effect that Smiley Lewis was a "bad luck singer," because he never sold more than 100,000 copies of his Imperial singles. In retrospect, Lewis was a lucky man in many respects — he enjoyed stellar support from New Orleans' ace sessioneers at Cosimo's, benefited from top-flight material and production (by Bartholomew), and left behind a legacy of marvelous Crescent City R&B.
Born with the unwieldy handle of Overton Lemons, Lewis hit the Big Easy in his mid-teens, armed with a big, booming voice and some guitar skills. He played clubs in the French Quarter, often with pianist Tuts Washington (and sometimes billed as "Smiling" Lewis). By 1947, his following was strong enough to merit a session for DeLuxe Records, which issued his debut 78, "Here Comes Smiley." Nothing happened with that platter, but when Lewis signed with Imperial in 1950 (debuting with "Tee-Nah-Nah") things began to move.
As the New Orleans R&B sound developed rapidly during the early '50s, so did Lewis, as he rocked ever harder on "Lillie Mae," "Ain't Gonna Do It," and "Big Mamou." He scored his first national hit in 1952 with "The Bells Are Ringing," but enjoyed his biggest sales in 1955 with the exultant "I Hear You Knocking" (its immortal piano solo courtesy of Huey Smith). Here's where that alleged bad luck rears its head — pop chanteuse Gale Storm swiped his thunder for any pop crossover possibilities with her ludicrous whitewashed cover of the plaintive ballad.
But Storm wouldn't dare come near its roaring flip, the Joe Turner-ish rocker "Bumpity Bump," or some of Smiley Lewis' other classic mid-'50s jumpers ("Down the Road," "Lost Weekend," "Real Gone Lover," "She's Got Me Hook, Line and Sinker," "Rootin' and Tootin'"). In front of the Crescent City's hottest players (saxists Lee Allen, Clarence Hall, and Herb Hardesty usually worked his dates), Lewis roared like a lion.
Strangely, Fats Domino fared better with some of Smiley Lewis' tunes than Lewis did ("Blue Monday" in particular). Similarly, Elvis Presley cleaned up the naughty "One Night" and hit big with it, but Lewis' original had already done well in 1956 (as had his melodic "Please Listen to Me"). His blistering "Shame, Shame, Shame" found its way onto the soundtrack of the steamy Hollywood potboiler Baby Doll in 1957, but failed to find entry to the R&B charts.
After a long and at least semi-profitable run at Imperial, Lewis moved over to OKeh in 1961 for one single, stopped at Dot in 1964 just long enough to make a solitary 45 (produced by Nashville deejay Bill "Hoss" Allen), and bowed out with an Allen Toussaint-produced remake of "The Bells Are Ringing" for Loma in 1965. By then, stomach cancer was eating the once-stout singer up. He died in the autumn of 1966, all but forgotten outside his New Orleans home base.
The ensuing decades have rectified that miscarriage of justice, however. Smiley Lewis' place as one of the greatest New Orleans R&B artists of the '50s is certainly assured.
Title: Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered) (CD1)
Artist: Smiley Lewis
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Blues
Title: Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered) (CD2)
Artist: Smiley Lewis
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Blues
Collections
Title: 100 Original Soundtracks, Hollywood Vol 1
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Vinyl Lounge - Lost Jazz & Blues Masters
Genre: Jazz
Title: 50's Radio Hits & Jukebox Oldies
Genre: Rock
Title: Love Songs - Rare Vintage Masters
Genre: Rock
Title: Inspiring Elvis
Genre: Country
Title: The Song Before the Song
Genre: Blues
Title: Big Hits of the 50´s / Big Hits of the 50?s
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1959, Vol. 8
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1950, Vol. 5
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1950, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: 1950's Hits & Highlights, Vol. 7
Genre: Pop
Title: 100 Hits Vintage Nº2 / 100 Hits Vintage N?2
Genre: Pop
Title: Jazz Blues R&B! Vol. 2
Genre: Jazz
Title: So:So Blues, Vol. 1
Genre: Blues
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1957, Vol. 4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1954, Vol, 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: The Definitive Blues Collection, Vol. 10
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Rockin' R&B Classics
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1952, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: The Roots Of American Music-New Orleans
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Jazz
Title: New Orleans: Where Rock 'N' Roll Began
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: The Most Essential Louisiana Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Mambo Classics
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1954, Vol. 9
Genre: Pop
Title: Mardi Gras Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1951, Vol. 6
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: New Orleans Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1954, Vol. 5
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Top 40 Rock n Roll
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: The Great Pop Songs of All Time, Vol. 8
Genre: Pop
Title: Blues Belters
Genre: Blues
Title: 60's Party Music Twist & Shout
Genre: Rock
Title: The Hits of 1955, Vol. 5
Genre: Pop
Title: Big Hits and Highlights of 1955 Volume 7
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1955, Vol. 7
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1953, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1955, Vol. 4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: The Song Before the Song
Genre: Alternative
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1952 Volume 18
Genre: Pop
Title: Retro High School Party
Genre: Rock
Title: Great Songs, Vol. 2
Genre: Pop
Title: Songs Before Other Acts Made Them Famous
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1955, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1954, Vol. 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Land of a Thousand Dances
Genre: Rock
Title: Goin Back to New Orleans
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1952 Volume 22
Genre: Pop
Title: Big Hits & Highlights Of 1950, Vol. 11
Genre: Pop
Title: Rock N Roll Classics
Genre: Alternative
Title: ABC Of The Blues CD 25
Genre: Blues
Title: R & B: 101 All Time Greats (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk
Title: R & B: 101 All Time Greats (CD3)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Funk
Title: R & B - 101 All Time Greats (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: R & B - 101 All Time Greats (CD3)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: R & B: 101 All Time Greats (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: R & B: 101 All Time Greats (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: RnB Conect Vol. 2 (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: RnB Conect Vol. 2 (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Title: R&B: 101 All Time Greats (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Pop
Title: R&B: 101 All Time Greats (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Pop
Title: Le Coffret Bleu Du Grand Mix De Nova (CD01)
Genre: Pop
Featuring albums
Title: The Big Beat of Dave Bartholomew (Remastered)
Artist: Dave Bartholomew
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Rock, Rock & Roll
Title: The Complete Blues Anthology (Doxy Collection, Remastered)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Blues
Title: The Spirit Of New Orleans: The Genius Of Dave Bartholomew Disc 1
Artist: Dave Bartholomew
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Spirit Of New Orleans: The Genius Of Dave Bartholomew Disc 2
Artist: Dave Bartholomew
Genre: Jazz
Title: I've Been Around: The Complete Imperial And ABC-Paramount Recordings (CD10)
Artist: Fats Domino
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Blues, Rock & Roll, Pop
Title: Chuck Berry & Other Kings Of Rock 'n' Roll (CD2)
Artist: Chuck Berry
Genre: Blues, Rock, Rock & Roll, Pop