Eliot Lewis

By Alan Bryson
August 9, 2014
Sign in to view read count

At an early age Eliot Lewis was determined to make music his life's work, and in the ensuing years he has been living the dream. As you'll hear in the interview, even as an adolescent he had some extraordinary musical encounters which, if submitted as a screenplay, would probably be rejected as unbelievable. After finishing school his demos caught the attention of an highly successful producer who enlisted him for studio work and took him under his wing. He played on albums by artists such as James Brown, Joe Cocker, and Tina Turner, and also gained valuable production experience.

From there he worked for several years as a contract songwriter for Sony and later Warner Brothers. One of his songwriting partners was a founding member of the Average White Band, and when they reformed he was asked to join. He went from composing in a quiet room to performing in front of tens of thousands of people. For thirteen years he was out front singing, playing bass, keyboards, guitar, and touring with legendary bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, and James Brown.

Eventually he was recruited to join the Hall & Oates band where he has remained until the present, playing before mass audiences around the world. Along with Daryl Hall, Eliot Lewis is the only person to have performed on every episode of the immensely popular web-series Live from Daryl's House, which is also broadcast on VH1 and MTV's HD Palladia television network.

If you aren't familiar with the show, in 2007 Daryl Hall went back to basics and shared it with the world on the Internet. The format is simple, a tight house band, a cozy intimate environment, and a slew of guests which might include Daryl Hall's legendary friends, or highly talented newcomers who catch his attention.

Daryl's fan base is exposed to young artists who disprove the slam that there is no good new popular music. Similarly, younger audiences are exposed to the R&B tradition that Daryl Hall embodies. Rightfully, the show has been cited as one of the best examples of a veteran artist adapting to the digital age. Viewers of the show know Eliot Lewis primarily from his duties on keyboard and background vocals, but he also is a multi instrumentalist and solo performer as you'll hear in the interview.

Listen to the interview

Post a comment

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.