Laurie Beebe Lewis (born Laurie Seaman on November 5, 1954, in

Ludington, Michigan Ludington ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat and the largest city in Mason County, Michigan, Mason County. The population was 7,655 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the fourth largest city i ...

, United States) is an American singer-songwriter. At age 14 she was the female lead singer of the

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

cult-underground band Pitche Blende, a featured band on ''The Michigan Mixture Volume 1'' album. She is most associated with her affiliation as the keyboard player and vocalist with Chicago's reformed group

The Buckinghams The Buckinghams are an American pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 ...

from 1982 to 1985; and as lead singer in the reformed group

The Mamas & The Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

from 1986 to 1993 with original members John Phillips and

Denny Doherty Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. A tenor, he was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas & the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock ...

, along with

Spanky McFarlane Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane (born June 19, 1942) is an American singer best known for fronting the vocal group Spanky and Our Gang in the late 1960s. She was nicknamed "The Queen of Sunshine Pop". Early years In 1959, McFarlane arrived in Chicago ...

. Lewis was the only female artist on the 1985 Happy Together Tour with

the Turtles The Turtles are an America, American Band (rock and pop), rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The band achieved several Top 40 hits throughout the latter half of the 1960s, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby (song), ...

Gary Lewis & the Playboys Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a 1960s Pop music, pop and Rock music, rock group, fronted by musician Gary Lewis (musician), Gary Lewis, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...

, and

the Grass Roots The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums and ...

. That same year the Buckinghams recorded their 1985 come-back album entitled ''A Matter Of Time'' to which Lewis contributed lead and back-up vocals as well as co-writing the song "Made To Love You". Meanwhile, in 1997 she recorded with singer

Gary Puckett Gary Dale Puckett (born October 17, 1942) is an American singer widely known as the lead vocalist for Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, who had six consecutive gold records in 1968, including " Woman Woman", " Young Girl", " Lady Willpower", " Over ...

on his album ''Is This Love''. The album was released in Canada and Europe with tracks later released on compilation albums ''Timepiece'' and ''This is Love'', both of which feature a power duet of Puckett and Lewis covering the

Heart (band) Heart is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1973. The band evolved from previous projects led by founding members Roger Fisher (guitarist), Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen (bass guitar), including The Army (1967–19 ...

ballad " Alone". In 2013 Lewis was part of the all-star musical project

Dick Wagner Richard Allen Wagner (December 14, 1942 – July 30, 2014) was an American rock guitarist, songwriter and author best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and Kiss. He also fronted his own Michigan-based bands, the Frost and the Boss ...

& the Rockers for St. Jude in which she shared lead vocals with Wagner,

Mark Farner Mark Fredrick Farner (born September 29, 1948) is an American musician. He was the original singer and guitarist of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he co-founded in 1969, and later as a contemporary Christian musician. Early life and ...

(

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Don Brewer (drums, vocals) and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved pea ...

Jean Beauvoir Jean Beauvoir is an American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Stev ...

Merrilee Rush Merrilee Rush ( Gunst; January 26, 1944) is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song " Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968. Early life and caree ...

, and

Trini Lopez Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020), known as Trini Lopez, was an American singer and guitarist. His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's " If I Had a Hammer", which earned a gold disc for him. His other ...

, in a band that included drummer

Danny Seraphine Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer, and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from ...

(

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

), guitarists

Jennifer Batten Jennifer Batten (born November 29, 1957) is an American guitarist who has worked as a session musician and solo artist. From 1987 to 1997, she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours, and from 1999 to 2001, she toured and recorded w ...

(

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

) and

Elliot Easton Elliot Easton (born Steinberg, December 18, 1953) is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the American new wave band the Cars. His melodic guitar solos are an integral part of the band's music. ...

(

The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

), as well as bassist

Lee Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section (band), The Section, which supported ...

and a huge backing choir of well known musicians. The group recorded a digital single and a music video, "If I Had The Time (I Could Change The World)" with proceeds earmarked to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Lewis was also featured on the 2nd Annual 2016 Dick Wagner Memorial Concert 'Remember The Child" at

The Fillmore Detroit The Fillmore Detroit is a multi-use entertainment venue operated by Live Nation. Built in 1925, the Fillmore Detroit was known for most of its history as the State Theatre. It is located near the larger Fox Theatre in the Detroit Theatre Distr ...

. The show honored DJ

Russ Gibb Russel James Gibb (June 15, 1931 – April 30, 2019) was an American rock concert promoter, school teacher and disc jockey from Dearborn, Michigan, best known for his role in the "Paul is dead" phenomenon, a story he broke on radio station WNIC, WK ...

, a former concert promoter and media personality from

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

, and commemorated the late guitarist and singer-songwriter Dick Wagner. Wagner's music was performed by many artists including Wagner's son Robert Wagner,

, Grammy Award-winning pianist and singer from

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott (Scottish musician), Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott re ...

Paul Brown, drummer

Sandy Gennaro Santo Michael "Sandy" Gennaro (born July 3, 1951 in Manhattan, New York) is an American rock drummer, author, musician, public speaker and mentor. He has recorded and toured with many musical artists including Blackjack, The Monkees, Pat Travers, ...

, guitarist

Micki Free Micki Free (born May 20, 1955) is a guitarist and singer of Native American descent. He won a Grammy Award for his contribution to the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984) movie soundtrack and has won two Native American Music Awards. He is the directo ...

, Derek St. Holmes, Joe Bass, Hal Patino, Maryann Cotton, Jimmie "Bones" Trombly, guitarist Kenny Olson,

Peter Keys Peter Keys (born May 30, 1965) is an American keyboardist. He is best known for his work with George Clinton in various P-Funk lineups and as a member of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd since 2009. Career Keyes played and recorded with many ...

, David Winans II,

Muruga Booker Steven Bookvich (born December 27, 1942), known as Muruga Booker, is an American drummer. Biography Booker was born in Highland Park, Michigan, on December 27, 1942, at Highland Park General Hospital, and is of Serbian descent. His father, ...

Dennis Dunaway Dennis Dunaway (born December 9, 1946, in Cottage Grove, Oregon) is an American musician, best known as the original bass guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper. He co-wrote some of the band's most notable songs, including "I'm Eighteen" and ...

The Frost The Frost was an American psychedelic rock band from Alpena, Michigan in the late 1960s, led by singer-guitarist Dick Wagner, who went on to play with Ursa Major, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel in the 1970s. The rest of the band consist ...

, Johnny "Bee" Badanjek and other supporting musicians. Proceeds benefited

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of more than 10 million children each year. Donat ...

supporting music therapy. On March 24, 2017, Lewis performed with

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" ...

as one of The Pleasure Seekers, along with the latter's sister Patti Quatro, on the third annual "Remember the Child Concert" held in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in The Sound Board performance venue. She also contributed backing vocals for

Kip Winger Charles Frederick "Kip" Winger (born June 21, 1961) is an American singer and bassist who is active as a member of the rock band Winger (band), Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contr ...

and many returning artists from the previous year.

Partial discography

This is a partial discography on which Laurie Beebe Lewis contributes vocals or instrumentation:

Albums

Solo *1997 - Laurie K. Lewis - ''Cool Waters'' - (Remnant Records 13776-0) *2017 - Laurie Beebe Lewis - ''Baby Birds'' Produced by

Warren Huart Warren Huart (born 28 January 1969) is an English record producer, musician, composer and recording engineer based in Los Angeles, California who is most associated as a music producer and/or engineer in the recording industry as a multi-platin ...

(Play Like A Girl Records 247562) With Bands *1985 - The Buckinghams - ''A Matter Of Time'' - (Red Label ST-73101) *1997 - Gary Puckett - ''Is This Love'' - (Juslor Records CL10097JT) *1998 - Gary Puckett - ''Timepiece'' - (Polytel 740051-4) *2011 - Queen Divas of The Universe - ''All Wrapped Up In Christmas'' (Remnant Records 91262-5) features

Roni Lee Venus and the Razorblades were a short-lived punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed and managed by Kim Fowley after his initial separation with The Runaways in 1976. They are believed to be one of the first mixed-gender American pun ...

, Shaaron Schuemaker *2020 - The Original Starfires - ''Fly Me Away'' ( Pacific Records PAC 101720)

Singles

*1968 - Pitche Blende - "My World has Stopped" b/w "Stop" (Valley 1102) *1985 -

- "Veronica" b/w "Veronica" - (Red Label PB-71001) promo - both sides stereo *2013 -

And The Rockers - "If I Had The Time (I Could Change The World)" (Desert Dream Productions) shares lead vocals with Jean Beauvoir,

. Digital release

Compilation albums

*1990 - ''Michigan Mixture Volume 1'' - (Clinging Hysteria CHR1) includes Pitche Blend "My World has Stopped" *1999 ''Oasis Christmas 2'' God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen track 2 *2012 - ''Michigan Mixture Volume 1'' (Spiral Groove – SGLP3010) Reissue. Includes Pitche Blend's "My World has Stopped" and "Stop" *2020 - ''Power Chords, Harmonies and Mistletoe III'' (Snap!! Records - FUNCD-065) Includes Queen Divas of the Universe's "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" *2021 - ''Staring at the Sun XIII'' (Blindspot Records 157) Includes The Original Starfires "Fly Me Away"

Album contributions

*1974 - The Celebration Road Show - ''Amazing Grace'' - (Celebration Records 4042) *1975 - The Celebration Road Show - ''Songs of Freedom'' - (United Church Press, Philadelphia PA AM367) *1976 - The Celebration Road Show - ''That's A Plenty'' - (Celebration Records CR1005) *1977 - ''Gary Miller's Celebration Road Show LIVE ON STAGE'' (Circle Records CLP-2 PRP-45101) *1999 - "Oasis Christmas 2" With

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett) was an American pop rock group active in the late 1960s. The group, formed by Gary Puckett, Gary "Mutha" Withem, Dwight Bement, Kerry Chater and Paul Whea ...

''All Through The Night'' The Livingstones ''Hark The Herald Angels Sing'' backing vocals with

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Thomas Camp (born January 12, 1978) is an American Contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian singer and songwriter from Lafayette, Indiana. He has released eleven albums, four of them RIAA certification, RIAA-certified as Music ...

*2000 - ''Personal Praise & Worship'' - Adventures In God's Presence Collections Volume 6 - (Rolltop Music - 777-6-D) *2007 - Leigh Taylor & Adventures Worship Band - ''Songs For Every Tribe'' - (Rolltop Music - 777-7D) *2015 -

- ''Heroes'' (Play Like A Girl Records)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Laurie Beebe American women singers American folk rock musicians Living people Musicians from Saginaw, Michigan 1954 births Singers from Michigan The Mamas and the Papas members