British Singer-Songwriter And Sought-After Vocalist Linda Lewis Dies At 72
Lewis’ five-octave range featured on such hits as ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’ and a cover of ‘It’s In His Kiss.’
British singer-songwriter Linda Lewis, whose five-octave range helped her win widespread popularity and several hits in the 1970s, died yesterday (3) at the age of 72.
The news was announced by her brother Keith Fredericks, who wrote: “It is with the greatest sadness and regret we share the news that our beloved beautiful sister Linda Lewis passed away yesterday peacefully at her home. The family asks that you respect our privacy and allow us to grieve at this heartbreaking time. You will always be loved.
“I’m so sorry to hear of Linda Lewis passing,” wrote Yusuf/Cat Stevens on social media. “She was a good soul-friend and fine artist. Her flat on Hampstead Way was a regular home for artist and musicians in the 70’s. Linda became my personal support act during the Bamboozle Tour of 1974, and travelled with our troupe all over the world, up to Japan.
“What a voice! I produced a couple of her records, and she sang the sweetest melody on my ballad, ‘How Can I Tell You’ [heard in the last minute of the song] as well as the chorus on ‘Angelsea.’ Linda was like an amazing bird that kindly visited the window sill of our earthly house for a few days, then flew away back to her garden.” Joan Armatrading wrote: “I’m so sad to hear of the death of Linda Lewis. She had a beautiful voice and was a really lovely person.”
Lewis was best-known for her breakthrough 1973 UK hit, the self-written “Rock-A-Doodle-Doo,” which reached No.15, and a 1975, disco-flavored cover of “It’s In His Kiss,” the Rudy Clark song that was first a hit for Betty Everett. She also made the Top 40 with a 1976 version of the Van McCoy composition first cut by Barbara Lewis, “Baby I’m Yours,” and 1979’s “I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You.” Her one album chart entry was with 1975’s Not A Little Girl Anymore, during her time on Arista Records.
Born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham, east London, on September 27, 1950, she taught herself piano and guitar and, after attending stage school, appeared briefly as a screaming fan in the crowd scenes of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. After singing with the ska band the Q Set, a vocal booking with John Lee Hooker led her to be managed by the notorious svengali Don Arden. Lewis was also in the groups White Rabbit and the Ferris Wheel and played Glastonbury Fayre, as it was then called, in 1971, singing with Terry Reid. She returned to play there again in 1984 and 2011.
She landed a deal with Reprise Records, after which she moved across to its Raft subsidiary, where she finally made her chart debut. Lewis was, and remained, in demand as a session singer, appearing on such notable albums as David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, notably on “Panic In Detroit,” and Stevens’ Catch Bull At Four. Her own last studio album Kiss Of Life was released in 1999, but she remained active as a guest vocalist on numerous projects and with live work. The 2014 compilation Hampstead Days (The BBC Recordings) collated unreleased sessions from the 1970s.
In an interview in the current edition of Shindig! magazine, Lewis reminisced about her early days of recording and in particular her debut LP, 1971’s Say No More. “When I listen to it now, I think it was a lovely little album,” she said. “It was very innocent. It was the first rung on my ladder, and helped me go on to make Lark, which had so many highlights on it, and is one of my best albums. I remember those years between 1969 and ’72 – before I wrote ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’ – very fondly. It was a fabulous time.”
