Linda Lewis

Linda Ann Fredericks (27 September 1950 – 3 May 2023), better known as Linda Lewis, was an English singer, songwriter and musician.

Linda Fredericks was born in Custom House, Newham, in 1950.

Her parents were of British-Guyanese and Jamaican heritage.

She was raised primarily by her mother, who was a jazz singer.

Lewis attended stage school and was regularly cast in non-speaking television and film roles such as A Taste of Honey (1961); she appeared as a screaming fan in the first Beatles film, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and also sang to the public.

She joined The Q Set, a British band who performed ska and blue beat, Jamaican-style music.

In 1964, she sang "Dancing in the Street" with John Lee Hooker at a club in Southend-on-Sea.

Hooker introduced her to Ian Samwell, who arranged for Don Arden to manage her.

She signed with Polydor and in 1967 recorded the single "You Turned My Bitter into Sweet", which is now a collectable Northern Soul record.

Polydor worried that her name, Linda Fredericks, would be confused with Linda Kendrick, who was also signed to Polydor.

Fredericks used the name Linda Lewis in honour of singer Barbara Lewis.

The surname would also be used professionally by her sisters, Dee Lewis and Shirley Lewis, and her mother.

During 1967, Linda Lewis formed White Rabbit with Junior Kerr moving on to replace Marsha Hunt in the soul rock band The Ferris Wheel in 1970 and touring Europe with them.

She also recorded the album Ferris Wheel (1970) and the single "Can't Stop Now" with them before the band broke up the same year.

On 19 September 1970, Lewis appeared at the first Glastonbury Festival (where she jammed with Terry Reid and David Lindley), having been booked by the DJ and concert booker Jeff Dexter.

After a chance meeting with Warner Bros. Records executive Ian Ralfini, Lewis signed to the label's imprint Reprise.

Her discography includes solo albums, Lark (1972), Not a Little Girl Anymore (1975), Woman Overboard (1977), and the later Second Nature (1995), which became successful in countries such as Japan.

Lewis also provided backing vocals for other artists, including David Bowie, Al Kooper, Cat Stevens, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Rick Wakeman, Rod Stewart, Peter Bardens, Hummingbird, Joan Armatrading and Jamiroquai.

She was the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers.

Lewis was a self-taught guitarist and keyboard player, influenced by Harry Nilsson, Billie Holiday and Smokey Robinson, also drawing inspiration from others such as Joni Mitchell.

Her music blended folk, funk and soul.

She is best known for the singles "Rock-a-Doodle-Doo" (1973) and her version of Betty Everett's "The Shoop Shoop Song" (1975).

Lewis also worked as a session vocalist in this period, which led to her appearance on albums such as Possible Projection of the Future by Al Kooper, David Bowie's Aladdin Sane (1973), Cat Stevens's Catch Bull at Four (1972) and Hummingbird's first album Hummingbird (1975).

She then signed to Family's new Warner/Reprise distributed "Raft" label.

Her first hit single "Rock-a-Doodle-Doo" reached No. 15 in the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 1973, and it was followed by the album Fathoms Deep, which featured former Jeff Beck Group guitarist Bobby Tench.

This album established her as one of Britain's most promising young female singer-songwriters and was critically acclaimed, but it did not have the expected success, probably due to Raft Records becoming insolvent at that time.

However, several appearances on the BBC TV show Top of the Pops raised her profile, and an extensive world tour with Cat Stevens followed.

On her return to the studio, she signed to Arista Records and recorded what would become her breakthrough album Not a Little Girl Anymore (1975), which featured Allen Toussaint and the Tower of Power horn section.

A cover of "The Shoop Shoop Song" was released as a single, under the title of "It's in His Kiss", at the same time as the album, reaching No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart.

The singles "The Old Schoolyard" which Cat Stevens wrote for her, and "It's in His Kiss" were produced by the team of Tony Sylvester and Bert de Coteaux.

On 5 July 1975, Lewis opened the Knebworth Festival, being followed by Roy Harper, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, the Steve Miller Band and Pink Floyd.

She sings on the Go Too album, released in 1977, with Jess Roden.

Three more albums followed over the next few years.

During the next decade, Lewis retreated from public life and moved to Los Angeles although, in 1984, she again appeared at the Glastonbury Festival, as well as recording for Electricity Records.

In 1986 and 1987, she recorded with her sisters Dee and Shirley as Lewis, then as Lewis Sisters.

In 1992 she worked on the Joan Armatrading album Square the Circle as a backing vocalist, along with her sister Shirley and Sylvia Mason-James.

She then returned to record Second Nature (1995), which found success in the Japanese charts.

Its success led to live performances, which were recorded and released as On the Stage – Live in Japan (1996).

Three more albums followed.

Warner Bros. Records released Reach for the Truth: The Best of the Reprise Years (2002), an anthology of her work during the previous thirty years.