Edward Archibald Lewis (10 April 1918– 29 February 1988) was a Jamaican singer who was popular in Britain in the 1940s.
Career Archie Lewis sang in choirs and was a Sunday school teacher before taking up singing as a career."Sunday School Teacher a Hit on BBC Parade", Baltimore Afro-American, 6 September 1947, p. 6. Retrieved 3 November 2012 Already one of the most popular singers in Jamaica, he migrated to Britain in 1942 to work in a munitions factory as part of the war effort, Mento Music. Retrieved 3 November 2013Bennett-Coverley, Louise (2006) "", Jamaica Gleaner, 8 August 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2013 and became the featured singer with Geraldo and his Orchestra, with whom he recorded.Neita, Hartley (2007) "The Soul That Is Jamaica ", Jamaica Gleaner, 1 December 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2013 He also appeared regularly on BBC radio. He had a "rich baritone voice" and specialised in romantic ballads.Paul Willetts, Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond, Profile Books, 2010 He was one of the first black vocalists to sing solo in public performances in England, and toured widely with Geraldo and with Josephine Baker, as well as performing at the London Palladium and at a Royal Command Performance."This Day in Our Past": 26 February. Retrieved 3 November 2013Kingston Gleaner, "Canadian TV engagement for Archie Lewis", 7 March 1967. Retrieved 3 November 2013 For a time he was seen as one of Britain's most popular singers, and was known as "the Crosby of the Caribbean". Ebony, October 1947, Vol. 2 Issue 12, p.19. Retrieved 3 November 2013 His version of "In the Land of Beginning Again", recorded in 1946, was one of the most popular songs of its time,. Retrieved 4 November 2013 and his recording of "While the Angelus Was Ringing", sung with the Luton Girls Choir in 1948, was reported to have sold over a million copies.
After some time in Germany, Lewis returned to Jamaica in 1964 and performed in the island's leading hotels and clubs. In 1967, he was reported as being about to tour in Canada and the United States. He recorded three albums in Jamaica in the late 1960s and early 1970s: The Voice of Love, In Jamaica, and I'll Remember Jamaica. Archie Lewis at Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 November 2013
He died in the University Hospital, Mona, Jamaica, in 1988 at the age of 69.
Discography
Albums The Voice of Love (1968), Hilary/WIRL In Jamaica (1972), Federal
Compilations I'll Remember Jamaica (1968), Federal Sincerely Yours (1982), Decca - Archie Lewis featuring Geraldo and his Orchestra A Voice to Remember! (2003), Good Music Record Co. Swing Low Sweet Chariot (2010), Cornerstone Media
References