Huey Lewis & The News

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Huey Lewis is the personification of the tortoise from the tortoise and the hare story. Originally panned by critics as nothing but a bar band, the San Francisco based band Huey Lewis & The News have proven that contemporary critics rarely get it right. This band's career has spanned four decades, starting with a single in 1979 ("Exodisco"/ "Kickback") under the name American Express, and although the single wasn't a hit, it led them to a record contract for their 1980 self-titled debut album with the new band name we all know today. Their second album Picture This came out in 1982 which brought the band their first top ten hit with "Do You Believe In Love?" Their most cohesive album and personal favorite was 1983's Sports. It's hard to believe an album can be as consistent as this with songs such as: "Heart and Soul," "I Want a New Drug," "The Heart of Rock & Roll," and "If This Is It," just to name a few. Huey & The News wrote "Back In Time" for the Back to the Future film, proving the band was at its height of pop-culture relevance. Lewis even sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarizing "I Want a New Drug" for the "Ghostbusters" theme (they settled out of court). The band's fourth album came out in 1986, the golf-pun titled Fore! contained the timeless classic "Hip To Be Square," a personal (if not ironic) statement about the band which proved charming nerds can rock in their own way. The band was on the down-hill from there, releasing 1988's Small World, 1991's Hard at Play, 1994's Four Chords and Several Years Ago, and 2001's Plan B. The band remained a live staple throughout the 2000's and saw their legacy appreciated by the next generation, finding themselves jamming with jam bands like Umphrey's McGee and playing festivals to a whole new generation. The band would release two more albums: 2010's Soulsville and 2020's Weather, which would prove to be the band's last album. Unfortunately Huey found himself with hearing loss from Meniere's disease. This officially put an end to the band playing live. Forty years of hard work and 19 top-ten singles- not bad for a bar band from San Fran and everything that ensued.

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Huey Lewis & The News

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