Barbara Lewis

For other people named Barbara Lewis, seeBarbara Lewis (disambiguation).

Barbara Ann Lewis(born February 9, 1943)is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influencedrhythm and blues.

Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Barbara Ann Lewis
Born	(1943-02-09)February 9, 1943 Salem, Michigan,United States
Genres	R&B/Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1962–2017
Labels	Atlantic

Career

Lewis was born inSalem, Michigan,United States.

She was writing andrecordingby her teens with record producerOllie McLaughlin,a black DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, nowWAAM.Lewis's first single release, theuptempo"My Heart Went Do Dat Da" in 1962, did notchartnationally, but was a localhitin the Detroit, Michigan area. She wrote all of the songs on her debut LP, including the hit "Hello Stranger"which reached No. 3 on the USBillboardHot 100chart,and featured extensive use of theHammond organ.Lewis had moderate follow-up hits with "Straighten Up Your Heart" (#43) and her original "Puppy Love" (#38) beforeBert Bernsproduced her million-seller "Baby I'm Yours"(U.S. #11), written byVan McCoy.Berns also produced the followup "Make Me Your Baby"(U.S. #11) which had originally been recorded bythe Pixies Three,and Lewis's final Top 40 hit "Make Me Belong to You" (#28 in 1966), written byChip TaylorandBilly Vera.

At the end of the decade, she released a grittier-sounding album onStax Records.

Over the next decade, a number of other artists had success with Lewis' songs. Her own composition "Hello Stranger" —which had been remade in 1966 bythe Capitols—was a regional hit in 1973 as remade by Fire & Rainand in 1977Yvonne Elliman's version reached the US Top 20 and theUK Singles ChartTop 30: Elliman's version also topped the USEasy Listening chartfor four weeks. In 1985Carrie Lucas's remake of "Hello Stranger" was a Top 20 R&B hit and in 2004Queen Latifahremade "Hello Stranger" for herThe Dana Owens Album.

Lewis had dropped out of public view for years after her career slowed in the 1960s. It was only after Elliman's hit in 1977 that she was tracked down by Casey Kasem for his AT40 show on June 4 of that year. According to Kasem, nobody knew where she had ended up, including her agent, who did not even know where to send her checks for the Elliman cover. According to Kasem, she was hoping to be rediscovered in Michigan when he found her.

Health issues forced Lewis to retire from singing in 2017.

"Baby I'm Yours" charted in versions bycountrysingerJody MillerandDebby Boone(theB-sideof her single "God Knows" ). In Canada,Suzanne Stevenshad a hit in 1975 with adiscoversion of "Make Me Your Baby". Cover versions of her songs continue into the new millennium, with theArctic Monkeysincluding a version of "Baby I'm Yours" as a B-side to their 2006 single "Leave Before the Lights Come On".

In 1995, Lewis's "Baby I'm Yours" was featured on the soundtrack for the filmThe Bridges of Madison County,and in 2016 "Hello Stranger" was featured on the soundtrack for the filmMoonlight.In 2019, "Hello Stranger" was featured towards the end of the final episode of the British TV seriesGiri/Haji.

She received the Pioneer Award from theRhythm and Blues Foundationin 1999. In 2016, Barbara Lewis was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

Discography

Studio albums

• Hello Stranger(1963)
• Snap Your Fingers(1964)
• Baby, I'm Yours(1965)
• It's Magic(1966)
• Workin' on a Groovy Thing(1968)
• The Many Grooves of Barbara Lewis(1970)

Chart singles

• "Hello Stranger"– May 1963 –USNo. 3,U.S. R&BNo. 1 (2 weeks)
• "Straighten Up Your Heart" – August 1963 – U.S. #43; b/w "If You Love Her" – U.S. No. 131
• "Puppy Love" – January 1964 – U.S. #38; b/w "Snap Your Fingers" December 1963 – U.S. No. 71
• "Baby I'm Yours"– June 1965 – U.S. No. 11
• "Make Me Your Baby"– September 1965 – U.S. No. 11
• "Don't Forget About Me" – January 1966 – U.S. No. 91
• "Make Me Belong to You" – July 1966 – U.S. No. 28
• "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do" – October 1966 – U.S. No. 74
• "I'll Make Him Love Me" – April 1967 – U.S. No. 72

Other noteworthy songs

• "My Heart Went Do Dat Da"
• "My Mama Told Me"
• "Think a Little Sugar" (flip side of "Hello Stranger" )
• "How Can I Say Goodbye"
• "Spend a Little Time"
• "Someday We're Gonna Love Again"
• "Pushin' a Good Thing Too Far"
• "I Remember the Feeling (flip side of" Baby What Do You Want Me to Do ")
• "Thankful for What I Got"
• "Sho' Nuff (It's Got to Be Your Love)"
• "Love Makes the World Go Round"– a cover of a hit byDeon Jackson
• "On Bended Knee"

External links

• Barbara Lewisvia African American Registry