The Groove
Saturday July 1st, 2023 with Elorious Cain
LINDA LEWIS (September 27, 1950 - May 3, 2023)

A big thank you to VH3 for presenting two amazing episodes of THE GROOVE in the last 2 weeks!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINDA LEWIS (September 27, 1950 - May 3, 2023) --------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the most underrated of the original 1960's SOUL artists, LINDA LEWIS would embrace disco dancefloors with her bubbly and funky 1975 cover version of Betty Everett's "The Shoop Shoop Song". Called "It's In His Kiss", it has become one of the essential and timeless examples of the early British Disco sound that certain better dj's still insist upon spinning. It is absolutely ridiculous that LINDA LEWIS has been underrated by so many sources. She was a gifted song writer and a spectacular singer with a rare five-octave vocal range comparable to singers like MARIAH CAREY and the late MINNIE RIPERTON. LINDA LEWIS had her impact on various ROCK artists having lived in a commune with a variety of musicians and singers. She recorded PSYCHODELIC SOUL with the group THE FERRIS WHEEL, appeared at the very first Glastonbury Festival, and provided backup vocals for a variety of ROCK artists. That list is extensive and impressive as it includes: ROD STEWARD, CAT STEVENS, ELTON JOHN, OASIS, ROGER WATERS, BROON, CHRIS SPEDDING, AL KOOPER, STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL, PETER BARDENS, RICK WAKEMAN, HUMMINGBIRD, JOAN ARMATRADING, and DAVID BOWIE. For DAVID BOWIE she provided back up vocals on his 'ALADDIN SANE' and 'DIAMOND DOGS' albums. She was particularly proud of her contributions to BOWIE's wild rock-disco opus "1984". LINDA LEWIS released various successful SOUL and DISCO recordings in the 1960's,1970's and 1980's. By far "It's In His Kiss" was her most successful. She had the uncanny ability of assuming different personas through her music, often sounding Iberian, even Caribbean. Maybe the best example was the explosive "It's In His Kiss" where she projects a vulnerable juvenility. She recorded with a host of amazing producers like BERT DECOTEAUX, TONY SILVESTRE, CAT STEVENS, ALLEN TOUSSAINT and MIKE BATT. LINDA also recorded with SU BIDDU for the BIDDU ORCHESTRA and the 'Stud' motion picture soundtrack. LINDA LEWIS continued recording into the 1990's and 21st Century. She provided backup vocals for the ACID JAZZ supergroup JAMIROQUAI, and recorded with the Japanese ACID JAZZ artist LUDMILLA, The UK BIGBEAT/BREAKS artist MIDFIELD GENERAL, the Japanese DUB/REGGAE band LITTLE TEMPO, and the UK HOUSE MUSIC supergroup BASEMENT JAXX. We take pleasure in providing some of her hits and notable songs: