Jona Lewie - Career

Career

Jona Lewie joined his first group, The Johnston City Jazz Band, while still at school in 1963, and by 1968 had become a blues & 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 the Netherlands, 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. A subsequent Lewie composed Terry Dactyl track "On a Saturday Night" reached 42 in the UK in 1973 and a cover version was a hit in Spain. "She Left; I Died" was the third and last Lewie composition he recorded for the Terry Dactyl catalogue just before leaving the band.

After the demise of the Terry Dactyl, Lewie had initially looked likely to remain a part of a one-hit wonder group. However, he continued to write and make records now as a solo artist for Sonet between 1974 to 1976 including the titles "Piggy Back Sue" and "The Swan" which were both played by BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Charlie Gillett, who would regularly feature them on his "Honky Tonk" radio show. This period culminated in some chart activity in Europe as a solo artist with two of his Sonet singles, "Cherry Ring" and "Come Away", leading to television appearances in Central and Northern Europe.

A most significant step however in the continuing rise of Lewie's career was when he was signed to 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)" reached no. 2 in Australia, and achieved chart success in other world territories. His recordings of his songs for Stiff Records : "VousEt Moi" and "The Seed That Always Died", both charted in France.

Although now one of Britain'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 tune and style of "Stop the Cavalry" was later parodied for a series of humorous TV advertisements for John Smith's Beer.

During the 1990s, Lewie appeared with solo public performances on a 60 day UK tour as 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. They only fronted, but did not play on, the studio recording session of "I'm Going Home". It failed to secure a recording contract. It was written by ex-Mud star Rob Davis, who also appeared on the show. In 2009, Lewie performed two songs at the London Ukulele Festival. The next year Lewie joined Captain Sensible and The Glitter Band on their British tour, however he was able to do only three performances due to prior commitments.