Lew Lewis

Lew Lewis, active as both a harmonica player and vocalist, issued his lone full-length Save the Wail on Stiff Records in 1979 along with a pair of singles for the same imprint in 1979–1980 and an earlier single on United Artists. Prior to striking out alone he had belonged to Eddie & the Hot Rods, only to be dismissed from the well-known pub rock–new wave crossover outfit following their first single of 1976, “Writing on the Wall”/“Cruisin’ in the Lincoln.” Lewis handled the harmonica with genuine blues feeling shaped by Little Walter, yet his singing remained merely serviceable and without distinctive character. The resulting solo discs function as routine meeting points between pub rock and blues-rock, holding interest chiefly for those assembling complete pub-rock or Stiff Records discographies. Most of his recorded legacy appears together on the 2002 CD reissue of Save the Wail, which appends the two Stiff singles (but omits the United Artists release) and adds live tracks from 1977 and 1979. In 1987 Lewis drew a seven-year prison sentence after robbing a post office with a replica pistol.