Jona Lewie
Encyclopedia
Jona Lewie is an English
singer, songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist
.
& boogie
singer and piano
player. In 1969, as a singer/songwriter, he contributed compositions and recordings for the compilation album, I Asked For Water She Gave Me . . . Gasoline on the Liberty
/UA
label. Other compositions in 1969 were for the album, These Blues is Meant to Be Barrel Housed, on the Yazoo
/Blue Goose
label in New York — still as a solo artist known as John Lewis.
In 1969 he became acquainted with the blues band, Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts
, which was holding a residency at London
’s Studio 51 club, joining as a vocalist and piano player. Brett Marvin signed to the Robert Stigwood Agency in 1970, and Jona Lewie, as part of the band, appeared on television in Sweden
, Denmark
, Belgium
and Holland, and in 1971 performed in a concert with Son House
and supported Eric Clapton
's Derek and the Dominoes on a UK tour. Lewie stayed with Brett Marvin until 1973, its mainstream hit single being "Seaside Shuffle", another Lewie composition, released under the one-off nom de disque Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs
. The record did little on first release in 1971, but in 1972 a re-release reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart., aided by a marketing and distribution agreement for the song between Terry Dactyl’s record label, Sonet
, and Jonathan King
's UK label. Subsequent Lewie composed singles for Terry Dactyl and Sonet, "On a Saturday Night" and "She Left; I Died", didn’t achieve chart success.
Lewie looked likely to remain a part of a one-hit wonder
group until he was signed up by Stiff Records
in 1977. In 1980, following appearances on the Stiff package tours, he had a solo hit with the humorous synthpop
number, "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" co-written with fellow Brett Marvin member Keef Trouble
, which made the British Top 20. His next single, "Big Shot — Momentarily", was a hit in Germany
but not in the UK. By the end of 1980 he was back in the British charts with what became his biggest UK hit, "Stop the Cavalry
". His subsequent 1981 release, "Louise (We Get It Right)", was not a UK hit, but reached no. 2 in Australia, and achieved chart success in other world territories. His song, "Vous et Moi", charted in France
.
Although now one of Britain's and Germany's most familiar Christmas singles, "Stop the Cavalry" was not originally intended as a Christmas song (it had got to no. 1 in France in the summer). In Britain, however, it was released in late November after Stiff Records noticed a line referring to the festival — "I wish I was at home for Christmas" — and the specific style of brass instruments and bells in the chorus as a "Christmas-style" theme. The single reached no. 3 behind The St.Winifred's School Choir and John Lennon in the Christmas chart. The tune and style of "Stop the Cavalry" was later parodied for a series of humorous TV adverts for John Smith's Beer.
During the 1990s Lewie appeared with solo public performances on a short UK tour as special support guest of The Blues Band
, playing venues such as theatres and civic centres, while occasionally playing one-off gigs such as that at the Hackney Empire
, London and taking part in occasional radio
and television
broadcasts. In December 2005, he appeared in Channel 4
's Bring Back...The Christmas Number One, along with David Essex
and Slade
(all of whom had big Christmas Number Ones.) They only fronted, but did not play at, the studio recording session of "I'm Going Home". It failed to secure a record deal. It was written by ex-Mud
star Rob Davis, who also appeared on the show and who co-wrote (with Cathy Dennis
) the international million-selling "Can't Get You out of My Head
" for Kylie Minogue
. In 2009 Lewie performed two songs at the London Ukulele Festival.
by Jona Lewie (melody
) and Keef Trouble
(lyrics
) for the album, On the Other Hand There's a Fist. The song became a UK no. 16 single hit record. Lewie added a new story-line ending to Trouble’s lyrics. He wrote the melody on a multi
-timbre
polyphonic Polymoog
in his 8-track studio, and played on and recorded the backing track entirely himself, apart from bass guitar
from Norman Watt-Roy
(of Ian Dury and the Blockheads) and additional hi-hat
percussion from Bob Andrews. The female backing vocal in the song’s chorus was not the voice of Kirsty MacColl
as is sometimes believed, but the voices of the wives of Andrews and Dave Robinson (the owner of Stiff Records). MacColl's only involvement was when she appeared a few times on TV with Lewie to mime
/perform the vocal chorus. However, Karen O'Brien's official biography
, Kirsty MacColl: The One and Only, claimed this as MacColl's first vocal backing recording for Stiff Records.
This song also appears in the background of the party in The Young Ones
episode, "Interesting", just before Neil gets beaten up by Vyv's mates.
In 2010 the advertising agency
Mother London used the track to advertise Ikea
's kitchens. The advert, the full version of which ran to three minutes, featured the group Man Like Me walking around a party in a house comprising only kitchens while singing a new version of the song. Lewie himself appears in the ad as the host of the party.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
.
Career
Jona Lewie joined his first group, The Johnston City Jazz Band, while still at school in 1963, and by 1968 had become a bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
& boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
singer and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
player. In 1969, as a singer/songwriter, he contributed compositions and recordings for the compilation album, I Asked For Water She Gave Me . . . Gasoline on the Liberty
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
/UA
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
label. Other compositions in 1969 were for the album, These Blues is Meant to Be Barrel Housed, on the Yazoo
Yazoo Records
Yazoo Records is an American record label, founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. It specializes in early American blues, country, jazz, and other rural American genres ....
/Blue Goose
Blue Goose Records
Blue Goose Records is a record label setup in the early 1970s by Nick Perls.While on Blue Goose' sister label Yazoo Records Perls compiled rare 78 rpm recordings made in the 1920s by such singers and guitarists as Charlie Patton, Blind Willie McTell, the Memphis Jug Band, Blind Blake and Blind...
label in New York — still as a solo artist known as John Lewis.
In 1969 he became acquainted with the blues band, Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts
Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts
Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts, formed in 1968, is now an occasionally performing British pub and club blues band. Band members Jona Lewie, Graham Hine, Keith Trussell, and John Randall are perhaps better known for their record Seaside Shuffle which reached #2 in the UK charts in 1972 under the...
, which was holding a residency at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
’s Studio 51 club, joining as a vocalist and piano player. Brett Marvin signed to the Robert Stigwood Agency in 1970, and Jona Lewie, as part of the band, appeared on television in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Holland, and in 1971 performed in a concert with Son House
Son House
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. was an American blues singer and guitarist. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of slide guitar, and his singing often incorporated elements of southern gospel and spiritual music...
and supported Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's Derek and the Dominoes on a UK tour. Lewie stayed with Brett Marvin until 1973, its mainstream hit single being "Seaside Shuffle", another Lewie composition, released under the one-off nom de disque Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs
Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs
Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs was an English novelty band, that issued a few recordings in the early 1970s. The band name was especially created for Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts to promote the hit single "Seaside Shuffle"; band members being Jona Lewie ; Keef Trouble ; Graham Hine ; John...
. The record did little on first release in 1971, but in 1972 a re-release reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart., aided by a marketing and distribution agreement for the song between Terry Dactyl’s record label, Sonet
Sonet Records
Sonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...
, and Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
's UK label. Subsequent Lewie composed singles for Terry Dactyl and Sonet, "On a Saturday Night" and "She Left; I Died", didn’t achieve chart success.
Lewie looked likely to remain a part of a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
group until he was signed up by Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
in 1977. In 1980, following appearances on the Stiff package tours, he had a solo hit with the humorous synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
number, "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" co-written with fellow Brett Marvin member Keef Trouble
Keef Trouble
Keef Trouble is an English composer, singer and musician.-Keef Trouble: Career:Trouble studied at The Slade School of Fine Art, London, from 1968 to 1972...
, which made the British Top 20. His next single, "Big Shot — Momentarily", was a hit in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
but not in the UK. By the end of 1980 he was back in the British charts with what became his biggest UK hit, "Stop the Cavalry
Stop the Cavalry
"Stop the Cavalry" is a song written and performed by the musician Jona Lewie.The song peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart in December 1980, at one point only being kept from number one by two re-issued songs by John Lennon, who had been murdered on 8 December.In an interview for Channel...
". His subsequent 1981 release, "Louise (We Get It Right)", was not a UK hit, but reached no. 2 in Australia, and achieved chart success in other world territories. His song, "Vous et Moi", charted in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Although now one of Britain's and Germany's most familiar Christmas singles, "Stop the Cavalry" was not originally intended as a Christmas song (it had got to no. 1 in France in the summer). In Britain, however, it was released in late November after Stiff Records noticed a line referring to the festival — "I wish I was at home for Christmas" — and the specific style of brass instruments and bells in the chorus as a "Christmas-style" theme. The single reached no. 3 behind The St.Winifred's School Choir and John Lennon in the Christmas chart. The tune and style of "Stop the Cavalry" was later parodied for a series of humorous TV adverts for John Smith's Beer.
John Smith's Brewery
John Smith's is a brewery founded in 1758 by Backhouse & Hartley at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, England. John Smith bought the brewery in 1847. John Smith's is the sixth highest selling beer brand in the United Kingdom, and the highest selling ale brand. The brewery is currently owned by...
During the 1990s Lewie appeared with solo public performances on a short UK tour as special support guest of The Blues Band
The Blues Band
The Blues Band is a British blues band formed in 1979 by Paul Jones, former lead vocalist and harmonica player with Manfred Mann, and vocalist/slide guitarist Dave Kelly, who had previously played with the John Dummer Blues Band, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker...
, playing venues such as theatres and civic centres, while occasionally playing one-off gigs such as that at the Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
, London and taking part in occasional radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasts. In December 2005, he appeared in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Bring Back...The Christmas Number One, along with David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
and Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
(all of whom had big Christmas Number Ones.) They only fronted, but did not play at, the studio recording session of "I'm Going Home". It failed to secure a record deal. It was written by ex-Mud
Mud (band)
Mud were an English glam rock band, formed in February 1968, best remembered for their single "Tiger Feet", which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974...
star Rob Davis, who also appeared on the show and who co-wrote (with Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
) the international million-selling "Can't Get You out of My Head
Can't Get You out of My Head
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released from her eighth studio album Fever . The song was released worldwide as the lead single from the album, which was released on 8 September, 2001. The song was written and produced...
" for Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
. In 2009 Lewie performed two songs at the London Ukulele Festival.
"Kitchen at Parties"
The 1980 song and Lewie’s first hit record, "Kitchen at Parties", was written for Stiff RecordsStiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
by Jona Lewie (melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
) and Keef Trouble
Keef Trouble
Keef Trouble is an English composer, singer and musician.-Keef Trouble: Career:Trouble studied at The Slade School of Fine Art, London, from 1968 to 1972...
(lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
) for the album, On the Other Hand There's a Fist. The song became a UK no. 16 single hit record. Lewie added a new story-line ending to Trouble’s lyrics. He wrote the melody on a multi
Multi
Multi can mean:* Alternate character in online gaming* Multi 2 diamonds, a contract bridge convention* Multirhyme, a synonym for feminine rhyme used in hip hop music...
-timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
polyphonic Polymoog
Polymoog
The Polymoog is a polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. The Polymoog was based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time, and this led to a certain lack of flexibility compared to later...
in his 8-track studio, and played on and recorded the backing track entirely himself, apart from bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
from Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Watt-Roy is the bassist for The Blockheads, previously known as Ian Dury & the Blockheads.In November 1954 the Watt-Roy family, including Norman, his older brother Garth and his sister, moved to England...
(of Ian Dury and the Blockheads) and additional hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
percussion from Bob Andrews. The female backing vocal in the song’s chorus was not the voice of Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer-songwriter.MacColl scored several pop hits from the early 1980s to the early 1990s...
as is sometimes believed, but the voices of the wives of Andrews and Dave Robinson (the owner of Stiff Records). MacColl's only involvement was when she appeared a few times on TV with Lewie to mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
/perform the vocal chorus. However, Karen O'Brien's official biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
, Kirsty MacColl: The One and Only, claimed this as MacColl's first vocal backing recording for Stiff Records.
This song also appears in the background of the party in The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
episode, "Interesting", just before Neil gets beaten up by Vyv's mates.
In 2010 the advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
Mother London used the track to advertise Ikea
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
's kitchens. The advert, the full version of which ran to three minutes, featured the group Man Like Me walking around a party in a house comprising only kitchens while singing a new version of the song. Lewie himself appears in the ad as the host of the party.
Albums
- Alias Jona Lewie (1975)
- On the Other Hand There's a Fist (1978)
- Heart Skips Beat (1982)
- Optimistic (1993)
- Ukephoric: The London Ukulele Festival 2009 (2010)
Singles
- "Cherry Ring" (1976)
- "The Baby, She's on the Street" (1978)
- "Hallelujah Europa" (1978) — withdrawn, not released in UK
- "God Bless Whoever Made You" (1979)
- "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" (1980) (UK no. 16)
- "Big Shot — Momentarily" (1980)
- "Stop the CavalryStop the Cavalry"Stop the Cavalry" is a song written and performed by the musician Jona Lewie.The song peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart in December 1980, at one point only being kept from number one by two re-issued songs by John Lennon, who had been murdered on 8 December.In an interview for Channel...
" (1980) (UK no. 3; BPIBritish Phonographic IndustryThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
: Gold) - "Louise (We Get It Right)" (1981)
- "Shaggy Raggy" (1981)
- "Re-arranging the Deckchairs on the Titanic" (1981)
- "I Think I'll Get my Hair Cut" (1981)
- "Love Detonator" (1983)
See also
- Keef TroubleKeef TroubleKeef Trouble is an English composer, singer and musician.-Keef Trouble: Career:Trouble studied at The Slade School of Fine Art, London, from 1968 to 1972...
- Brett Marvin and the ThunderboltsBrett Marvin and the ThunderboltsBrett Marvin and the Thunderbolts, formed in 1968, is now an occasionally performing British pub and club blues band. Band members Jona Lewie, Graham Hine, Keith Trussell, and John Randall are perhaps better known for their record Seaside Shuffle which reached #2 in the UK charts in 1972 under the...
- List of Christmas carols
- 100 Greatest Christmas Moments
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of Christmas hit singles
Further reading
- Rockin' Around Britain - Pete FramePete FramePeter 'Pete' Frame is a music journalist, who produced outlines of the history of rock bands for various magazines . He founded the English Alternative rock magazine ZigZag in April 1969 and acted as its editor, from its beginning until February 1973, and again from March 1976 until July 1977...
- Omnibus Press - Bio Data - Reference to his song being No 2 on Australian Charts in 1981