Apropos of absolutely nothing, this week we’re featuring classic songs by artists named either Gary, Gerry, or Jerry. (And, yes, that’s a nod to the bumbling character of Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich on Parks and Recreation, played by actor Jim O’Heir) So today’s classic song by a Gary, Gerry, or Jerry of the day is “This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys. This was the group’s first hit, released in January of 1965. It only took six weeks to shoot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“This Diamond Ring” was written by Al Kooper, Bob Brass, and Irwin Levine. You might remember Mr. Kooper as one of the founders of Blood, Sweat and Tears and the chief songwriter and vocalist on that group’s first album, Child is Father to the Man, before he was kicked out of the group he helped form. He was also the guy who played that signature organ riff on Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Mr. Levine was a songwriter responsible in part for songs like Sonny Charles and the Checkmates’ “Black Pearl” (a wonderful late Phil Spector Wall of Sound production), the Partridge Family’s “I Woke Up In Love This Morning,” and a bevy of hits for Tony Orlando and Dawn, including “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose,” “Knock Three Times,” and “Candida.” Bob Brass was also a songwriter for artists like Gene Pitney, Barbara English, and the Shirelles, but with fewer hits to his name.
Gary Lewis was the son of comedian/actor/producer/Labor Day Telethoner Jerry Lewis. He formed the band (originally just Gary & the Playboys) with four high school friends when he was 18 years old. They got a gig playing at Disneyland for a summer, then got picked up by legendary producer Snuff Garrett. Snuff insisted that Gary put “Lewis” in the band’s name (to sell more records) and took the boys into the studio.
By all accounts except those of Mr. Lewis, “This Diamond Ring” and all subsequent songs by the group were cut by studio musicians, all members of the Wrecking Crew—Mike Deasy and Tommy Alsup on guitars, Leon Russell on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums. Mr. Lewis insists that he and his pals played on the record, with the studio cats only brought in for “overdubs.” That’s not the way anybody else recalls it, however, and those drums definitely sound like studio pro Hal Blaine, not rank amateur Gary Lewis. (The vocals, as recounted by Snuff, were a mix of session singer Ron Hicklin and Mr. Lewis, with the mix heavily favoring Mr. Hinklin.)
When it came time for the group to perform live, replicating the sound of the record was a challenge. Snuff had Gary’s dad pull some strings and got the band booked on The Ed Sullivan Show on March 21, 1965, where Ed (at the time) insisted all artists perform live, no lip synching allowed. That was a problem, as the Playboys simply couldn’t play well enough for that. The compromise that Ed allowed was for only Gary to sing live, sort of, on top of their recording. Don’t bother plugging in those guitars (and that accordion!), boys.
Whomever was doing the recording, Gary Lewis & the Playboys went on to have a string of seven Top 10 singles, including “Count Me In” (#2 in 1965), “Save Your Heart For Me” (#2 in 1965), “Everybody Loves a Clown” (#4 in 1965), “She’s Just My Style” (#3 in 1965), “Sure Gonna Miss Her” (#9 in 1966), and “Green Grass” (#8 in 1966). The group went on hiatus when Mr. Lewis was drafted into the Army in January of 1967 and never quite got its mojo back when he was discharged a year later.
Gary Lewis continues to perform on the oldies tour with a group of supporting musicians, still calling themselves Gary Lewis & the Playboys, although he’s the only original member there. He’s 77 years old.
