Sometimes I can’t remember my wife’s birthday yet I can remember Gary Lewis & The Playboys playing “This Diamond Ring” on The Ed Sullivan Show way back in 1964.

Gary Lewis is the son of legendary comedian and actor Jerry Lewis and his group was discovered playing at Disneyland by producer Snuff Garrett. They would go on to create a string of hits that may not have been essential to the history of rock ‘n’ roll but they were extremely catchy and pleasant nonetheless; plus, they were tremendously popular, selling millions of copies. And they still put a smile on my face over forty years later.

Collector’s Choice has just released The Complete Liberty Singles by Gary Lewis & The Playboys. This two disc, 45-track set contains all of the group’s singles — both the A and B sides — plus a couple of unreleased songs.

While they would release a number of albums, they were at heart a singles band. Their LPs would basically contain a couple of their hits surrounded by a bunch of cover songs. They sold quite a few albums with this formula, but the singles remain their superior recordings.

Having Jerry Lewis as your father didn’t hurt as they were able to debut their first ever recording on The Ed Sullivan Show in front of tens of millions of people. The recorded version actually featured some of the best studio musicians of the day, including drummer Hal Blaine and keyboardist Leon Russell, who would become a fixture in the studio. Who played on the song didn’t necessarily matter, though, as "This Diamond Ring" hit Number One on the American charts and made stars of the group.

They would become mainstays on the charts, sharing radio time with the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys. Top twenty hits such as “Count Me In,” “Save Your Heart For Me,” “Everybody Loves A Clown,” “She’s Just My Style,” “Sure Gonna Miss Her,”  “Green Grass,” “(You Don’t Have To) Paint Me A Picture,” and “My Heart’s Symphony” still provide a nice if simple look at the innocent side of rock ‘n’ roll during the sixties.

Article Author: David Bowling

I have been collecting vinyl records for over forty years and my collection is approaching 50.000 records. My wife Susan and children, Stacey and Amy, have learned to humor my passion. I am now settled in beautiful Whispering Pines, North Carolina …

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