‘Tossin' and Turnin'’ singer Bobby Lewis dies from pneumonia at age 95
American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer Bobby Lewis, best known for his 1960s hit ‘Tossin' and Turnin'’, died on April 28 at the age of 95, after contracting pneumonia.
According to Billboard, news of Lewis’ death was initially reported but not widely circulated then. On Saturday, June 13, it was announced by Lewis’ granddaughter Sabreen LaRae Simmons on Facebook.
The ‘One Track Mind’ hitmaker was born Robert Alan Lewis on February 9, 1925, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was raised in an orphanage and eventually moved to a foster home in Detroit, Michigan, at age 12. He learned to play the piano at the early age of five.
When he was 14, Lewis reportedly ran away from home and began to perform as a singer, eventually moving to New York. He embarked on a singing career as a teenager. In no time, Lewis was opening for acts such as Jackie Wilson and James Brown.
In 1960, Lewis recorded a song that he had co-written with his friend Ritchie Adams of the vocal group called The Fireflies. In fact, it was Adams who convinced him to record the song as a one-off for a smaller label called Beltone. ‘Tossin' and Turnin'’ subsequently released in 1961 and was an immediate hit. It reportedly sold more than three million copies and stayed in the number one spot for seven weeks. It also topped Billboard's year-end “Hot 100” for 1961. In 2018, it landed at No. 36 on Billboard's “All-time Hot 100”.
But Lewis’ hits in the mainstream were limited to only a few other songs. No other song of his received as much acclaim as ‘Tossin' & Turnin'’, which was incidentally, also immortalized in popular culture because of its use in ‘American Graffiti’ and ‘Animal House’. The song has also been covered by many artists.
Lewis continued to play live well into his 80s, despite the fact that his deteriorating vision came in the way. In a 2011 interview, Lewis said, “It's like Stevie (Wonder) said: We all have that inner vision. That helps a lot.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lewis spent the last four decades of his life in New Jersey, with his final years spent at the Forest Hill Healthcare Center in Newark.
Lewis is survived by three children, Fonda Simmons, Marva Brooks, and Zain Abdullah. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. His son Zain Abdullah is reportedly writing a father-son memoir.