Memories of Bobby "Tossin' and Turnin'" Lewis

[woodward]

Does anyone know the current status of Bobby Lewis? As a refresher for those who may have forgotten this great singer, Bobby, although he was born in Indianapolis, moved to the Motor City Detroit at age 12. He started his singing career with a morning show on a local radio station. Anyone know which one? In July of 1961, Tossin' and Turnin' hit #1 on the Billboard charts for seven consecutive weeks and his follow up hit was One Track Mind.

As a refresher, his album Tossin' and Turnin' was the first on the legendary Beltone label [[distributed by King Records, Cincinnati). It was his first album as well as the first album release on the Beltone label.

The songs included in this great album are What A Walk, Cry No More, Lonely Teardrops , Let Me Be The One You Love, Turn Over a New Leaf, Tossin' and Turnin', Yes, Oh Yes, It Did, Are you Ready, Boom A Chick Chick, Oh Yes I Love You, Head Over Heels, and One Track Mind. All 11 songs not including Lonely Teardrops, were written specifically for Bobby Lewis.

Tossin' and Turnin' is a great song. Does any remember it or know if Bobby is still alive today?

[juicefree20]

Hi Woodward,

I was 1 when that song came out, but it was so popular that it was still played in my home when I was old enough to remember it.

I was fortunate enough to have met Bobby at a Doo Wop show here in Brooklyn a few years ago & man, you would love to meet Bobby because he's one funny guy.

As I remember it, Bobby was living in New Jersey & though having a bit of a struggle, he's got a great spirit, a life of the party kind of guy. Backstage he told jokes the entire time & though he's legally blind, other than needing a little assistance, you'd never know that anything was wrong. He must've been something in his heyday, because he was talking so much smack, he had this young lady giggling all over the place.

By the way, shortly thereafter, our Marc Taylor featured Bobby in "A Touch Of Classic Soul". It was an interesting article, so perhaps you can reach out to him to see if he has a copy left in stock.

As far as I know, Bobby is still amongst us & funny that you should mention him, as last week I saw his name surface a few times as I was surfing. If you ever get the chance to see Bobby, you can't help to do but 2 things...feel for him & really like him. He's got that kind of spirit.

I haven't found anything from this year, but here's an article that I was able to find about him from last year:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2011/04/bobby_lewis_interview.html

[juicefree20]

Here's a clip of Bobby from 2010 discussing the events which led him to Detroit, and some very nice words about how Jackie Wilson helped him get his start...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH_7Z25cWbU

[woodward]

Thank you both very very much. I especially enjoyed the NJ.com article and the other reference. You rarely hear anything about him; fortunately, I am the proud owner of his album which I cherish very much.

[marv2]

Hi Woodward,

I was 1 when that song came out, but it was so popular that it was still played in my home when I was old enough to remember it.

I was fortunate enough to have met Bobby at a Doo Wop show here in Brooklyn a few years ago & man, you would love to meet Bobby because he's one funny guy.

As I remember it, Bobby was living in New Jersey & though having a bit of a struggle, he's got a great spirit, a life of the party kind of guy. Backstage he told jokes the entire time & though he's legally blind, other than needing a little assistance, you'd never know that anything was wrong. He must've been something in his heyday, because he was talking so much smack, he had this young lady giggling all over the place.

By the way, shortly thereafter, our Marc Taylor featured Bobby in "A Touch Of Classic Soul". It was an interesting article, so perhaps you can reach out to him to see if he has a copy left in stock.

As far as I know, Bobby is still amongst us & funny that you should mention him, as last week I saw his name surface a few times as I was surfing. If you ever get the chance to see Bobby, you can't help to do but 2 things...feel for him & really like him. He's got that kind of spirit.

I haven't found anything from this year, but here's an article that I was able to find about him from last year:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2011/04/bobby_lewis_interview.html

Thank you Juice for that updated information on Bobby. Like you I was a baby when the song "Tossin and Turnin" had it's original release ,but I heard it so much growing up that it became a favorite of mine also.

[nosey]

I was about 10 or 11 when that song came out and I remember seeing a real funny performance of his on American Bandstand. He literally got on the floor and was tossin and turnin. LOL! Also, we used to Pony off of that record in Philly.

[caliluv]

I'm still playing the cover to "Tossin' & Turnin'" by the Supremes as well as Bobby's original.

[randy_russi]

I thought Bobby lived in Florida for a while as I believe he was somewhere near the Tampa/Clearwater area, west FL,
and he was going to the FL Eye Clinic. He was always very nice. I saw him several times at several shows when
I was with the Crystals or Dee Dee Sharp.