Born in Indianapolis in 1933, Bobby Lewis was raised in an orphanage. He learned
to play the piano at age five. He was eventually adopted, and when he was 12 his
adoptive family moved to Detroit.After several unsuccessful auditions, R&B vocalist
Bobby Lewis stopped off at the office of Beltone Records in Manhattan. The
already signed Ritchie Adams, lead singer of the Fireflies, recognized Lewis
from a gig they'd both appeared in at the Apollo theater and suggested he record
his composition "Tossin' And Turnin'." The single was released at the end of
1960 and rose to the top of the Billboard charts selling 3 million copies. In
the UK it was covered by the Ivy League who took this song to #3 in 1965. |