Gary Lewis Nick Rather (bass/guitar) Todd Bradley (drums) Mike Gladstone (guitar) Willy O'Riley (keys)
Past members
David Walker Allan Ramsay David Costell John R. West Carl Radle Tom Tripplehorn Jim Karstein Jim Keltner Alan Rosenthal Bill Boatman Charley Carey Bobby Bond (drums) Dominic Trincini (bass)
The group began life as Gary & the Playboys. Gary Lewis started the band with four friends of his when he was 18. Joking at the lateness of his bandmates to practice, Lewis referred to them as "playboys", and the name stuck.[3]
They auditioned for a job at Disneyland without telling Disneyland employees about Lewis' celebrity father.[1] They were hired on the spot, audiences at Disneyland quickly accepted them, and the Playboys were soon playing to a full house every night.
The orchestra bandleaderLes Brown, who had known Jerry Lewis for years, had told record producer Snuff Garrett that the younger Lewis was playing at Disneyland. After listening to the band, Garrett thought using Gary's famous name might sell more records, and convinced them to add "Lewis" into their name.
Garrett brought them to a recording studio with the song "This Diamond Ring" in a session financed by Jerry Lewis' wife Patti. In a 2012 interview, Lewis confirmed that he and the Playboys "played on every single track we ever did", including this song.[4] Garrett wanted to maximize the chances for a hit, so he insisted on using experienced session musicians for the overdubs, which included guitar and keyboard solos, additional bass and drum overdubs, and timpani.
These musicians included Mike Deasy and Tommy Allsup on guitars, Leon Russell on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums, members of the larger group known as The Wrecking Crew. Session singer Ron Hicklin did the basic vocal track. Garrett then added Lewis's voice twice, added some of the Playboys and more of Hicklin. "When I got through, he sounded like Mario Lanza", Garrett commented.
Garrett got airplay in New York City for "This Diamond Ring" by making a deal with WINS disc jockey "Murray the K" Kaufman, who ran a series of all-star concerts at theaters around the New York area. Garrett promised that if Kaufman played Lewis’ record, the Playboys would do his shows. Garrett then had Jerry Lewis use his contacts to get his son onto The Ed Sullivan Show.
However, Sullivan had a general policy that all acts appearing on his show were to perform live. Since so many studio tricks had been used on the record, the Playboys could not recreate its sound. In compromise, Lewis sang along with pre-recorded tracks as the Playboys pretended to play their instruments.[5]
The January 1965 broadcast made Gary Lewis and the Playboys instant stars. "This Diamond Ring" went to No. 1, sold over 1 million copies by April 1965, and became a gold disc.[6] However, by the end of 1965 only West and Lewis remained in the band. Other later band members included Tommy Tripplehorn, father of actress Jeanne Tripplehorn; Carl Radle (died 1980); Jimmy Karstein; Randy Ruff; Pete Vrains; Bob Simpson; Adolph Zeugner; Les John; Wayne Bruno; and Dave Gonzalez.
In 1966, the Playboys held their own Television special called "An Evening With Gary Lewis & The Playboys", which aired on WGN 9.[8] The line-up on this special consisted of: Gary Lewis (vocals, guitar), Tom Tripplehorn (guitar), Carl Radle (bass), John West (cordovox) and Jim Karstein (drums).[8]
On his 1968 discharge, Lewis immediately returned to recording, reaching the top 40 one last time with a top 20 remake of Brian Hyland's "Sealed With A Kiss", but unable to regain his group's earlier momentum.[1] Lewis continued touring, eventually marketing the band as a nostalgia act. He also appeared and performed on many of his father's Labor Day telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis owned a music store for some years in the 1970s and developed a drug habit. By 1985, he was well enough to join the nine month “Happy Together” tour, with other groups, including the Turtles, the Buckinghams and the Grass Roots.[9]
David Walker still performs guitar and other stringed instruments on stage and now resides in Hickory, North Carolina.[11]
Allan Ramsay enlisted in the Air Force in 1965, and discharged in 1967.[12] He died in a plane crash on November 27, 1985, aged 42. At the time, he was residing in White House Station, New Jersey.[12]
David Costell and John West retired from the music industry and now live private lives.
Tom Tripplehorn continued to perform live on stage. He married Suzanne Ferguson, before divorcing in 1965. Their daughter, Jeanne, became a famous actress. Tom died on 15 March 2019, aged 75.[13]
