Bobby Lewis
Bobby Lewis is one of those talented performers whose recognition is confined to a single monster hit, "Tossin' and Turnin'." Released in early 1961, the single rode the charts for 23 weeks, eventually hitting the number one spot on both the pop and R&B charts. Lewis had other hits, including a Top Ten follow-up with "One Track Mind," and had been working for years before that, yet the one song came to be his signature.
Bobby Lewis was raised in an orphanage, and ran away from his foster home at age 14. He worked carnivals, and eventually joined the Leo Hines Orchestra in Indianapolis as a singer. He worked small clubs and theaters during the '50s, and cut "Mumbles Blues" for the Spotlight label early in that decade, passed through the Mercury Records roster, and briefly hooked up with Nat Tarnopol, who also managed Jackie Wilson.
In late 1960, while appearing at the Apollo Theater in New York, Lewis stopped at the offices of Beltone Records, a small independent outfit in Manhattan, and was prevailed upon to record a song written by another artist on the Apollo bill, Ritchie Adams, called "Tossin' and Turnin'." The single was issued at the end of 1960, and lightning struck in 1961 -- sales of the record were so strong that for the only time in its history, Beltone issued an accompanying album by Lewis. None of his subsequent records sold remotely as well as the three million copies of "Tossin' and Turnin'," and by the end of 1962, Lewis seemed to have run out his string; in 1963, Beltone itself went belly-up. Lewis later had limited success ("Stark Raving Mad") on ABC-Paramount, and was soon after consigned to rock & roll history, somewhat unfairly, as a one-hit wonder.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Master Tape Records on 14 aug. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tossin' and Turnin'
Soul - Released by Oldies.com on 1 jan. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Tossin' & Turnin' (Digitally Remastered)
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 jan. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Passion Flower
Moderne jazz - Released by Southport on 10 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collector's Gold Series
Pop - Released by Trigger Records on 1 sep. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Golden Oldies
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 mrt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Another Time
Moderne jazz - Released by Southport on 4 aug. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tossin' & Turnin'
Pop/Rock - Released by ibomusic vs ibosound on 1 jan. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Here I Go Again
Moderne jazz - Released by Southport on 12 jun. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tossin' and Turnin' / One Track Mind (Rerecorded Version)
Pop/Rock - Released by K-Tel on 15 jun. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Flugel Gourmet
Moderne jazz - Released by Southport on 1 okt. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sweet Sixties
Rock - Released by The Sweet Sixties on 3 jul. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tossin' and Turnin' (feat. Joe René and His Orchestra) (Mono Version)
Rock - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Greatest Hits Collection
Pop - Released by Music Manager on 21 apr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Christmas Wood
Rock - Released by Christmas Wood on 22 nov. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I'm Looking for an Angel
Rock - Released by for an angel again on 13 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -