Song:Tossin' and Turnin'
Album:Tossin' and Turnin'
Tossin' and Turnin' may be the most successful one hit wonder of all time. Bobby Lewis had a second top ten hit so technically it's not a one hit wonder. But most folks only remember Tossin' and Turnin'. Lewis was born Feb. 16, 1927 in Indianapolis. He was raised in an orphanage until he was adopted at age 12 to a family in Detroit. But things didn't go well and Lewis ran away from home at age 14 and he moved back to Indianapolis. Lewis sang with the Leo Hines Orchestra. He recorded singles for Mercury and Roulette. Lewis appeared on a 1960 Apollo show in New York when he spoke to another artist from that show Ritchie Adams. Adams was lead singer of the doo wop group The Fireflies. They scored a top 30 hit in 1959 with You Were Mine. Adams was working as a staff songwriter for Beltone Records. Adams invited Lewis to the Beltone office. He showed Lewis Tossin' and Turnin' and Lewis recorded it. The record topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1961. It was the biggest record of the year. Beltone owner Malou Rene took a songwriting credit. His brother Joe Rene arranged and conducted the record. The sax solo on the record was by sax great King Curtis using his mouthpiece with big band veteran Haywood Henry's baritone sax. Very unique solo. The song is still memorable and it got a big boost when it appeared in the 1978 film Animal House. Lewis scored a second top ten hit with One Track Mind. And he even recorded an album which is available on CD from Collectables. Unfortunately Beltone went out of business soon after. Lewis recorded for ABC-Paramount and Philips But he was never able to score another hit. Lewis still tours the oldies circuit and everyone wants to hear Tossin' and Turnin'. Here's Bobby Lewis performing Tossin' and Turnin' at Little Darlin's in Kissimmee, FL in the 80s.
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