In 1983 the album Sports was released and started a following that has lasted over two decades. Huey Lewis and The News have been a consistently performing, straightforward band. With a blues influenced 'old fashioned' rock sound, they have been a perennial favorite with hits such as 'I Want a New Drug', and their rock and roll anthem 'The Heart Of Rock n' Roll'. From their early days playing clubs in the San Francisco Bay area, they have never lost their signature sound.
With two back-to-back Platinum albums, Sports and Fore, Huey Lewis and The News have produced numerous top 10 hits. Their self-titled debut album won the Bammie award for best debut. Their third album, Sports sold 7 million copies and received a Grammy nomination for Best Album of 1984. The song 'The Power Of Love', featured in Back To The Future, topped the chart and garnered them an academy award nomination. After selling over 30 million albums worldwide, they have been an American icon that has resisted all the trends.
Huey Lewis was born Hugh Anthony Craig III in 1950 in New York City. He graduated high school at 16 and was set to enter college when his father suggested that he spend a year traveling Europe. He returned and entered Cornell in the Engineering program, having received a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT. Though he quickly lost interest in college, dropped out and joined a band in the San Francisco bay area. Then in 1971 he joined a band called 'Clover' and changed his name to Huey Louie, after Donald Duck's nephews, which eventually became Huey Lewis. He played harmonica for the band and sang lead vocals on only a few songs. While he was a member of Clover they produced two albums on the British Phonogram label, which were both received poorly.
After having played with several bands in the late 60s and early 70s, Huey became part of Huey Lewis and the American Express. The name was changed to Huey Lewis and The News at the suggestion of manager Bob Brown. The News consists of Johnny Colla on guitar, sax, and vocals; Bill Gibson on drums and vocals; Sean Hopper on keyboards and vocals; John Pierce on bass; Stef Burns on Guitar and vocals; Marvin McFadden on trumpet; Ron Stallings on tenor saxophone; Rob Sudduth on tenor and baritone saxophone. Huey Lewis has appeared in several movies including cameos in 'Back To The Future' and 'Sphere' as well as a leading role in 'Duets'.
After performing for over 20 years, Huey Lewis and The News continue to draw top concert billings. They 'keep it simple, keep it pure', a motto that has kept the band popular and relevant to this day. With a following in the millions, they continue to tour regularly in order to keep the tickets flowing and the show going.
