Linda Lewis was a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose hits included “It’s in His Kiss.”
- Died: May 3, 2023 (Who else died on May 3?)
- Details of death: Died at her home at the age of 72.
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Linda Lewis’s legacy
Lewis was notable for her unusual five-octave vocal range, soaring to the whistle register. Her greatest success was at home in the U.K., where she scored her first big hit with 1973’s “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo.” She co-wrote and produced the track with her future first husband, Jim Cregan. In 1975, Lewis released her most successful single, “It’s in His Kiss,” a version of a song first recorded as “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) by Betty Everett in 1964. In addition to cracking the Top Ten in the U.S. and Ireland, the song was a dance club hit in the U.S. and received radio play there as well. Lewis’ other singles included “Play Around,” “Baby I’m Yours,” “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” and “I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You.”
In addition to her solo career, Lewis was a session musician who sang backing vocals on several notable albums. These included David Bowie’s (1947–2016) “Aladdin Sane” and Cat Stevens’ “Catch Bull at Four.” She performed live with artists including John Lee Hooker and T. Rex. Lewis’ song “Old Smokey” was sampled by Common on his Kanye West-produced 2005 hit “Go!”
Lewis on writing her first hit
“The record company came to me and said, we need a hit single so I thought right, okay. I went to sleep one night thinking I need a hit single, and I wrote a list. I keep a list of the things I want under my pillow. I dreamt that I was on a ‘One Armed Bandit’ and it came out ‘Rock-a-Doodle-Do!’” —from an interview for Blues & Soul
Tributes to Linda Lewis
Full obituary: BBC
