The Lewis Sisters

The Lewis Sisters - Way Out ...Too Far (Liberty 1969)

Helen and Kay Lewis', two sisters from Michigan, names cropped up on Motown albums and some single releases in the '60s, such as Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Just Walk in My Shoes." But their careers didn't begin at Motown, rather, in the '50s as jazz singers and songwriters.
They met Hal Davis in California and through Davis' partner Marc Gordon, got them inked to Motown in 1963 as recording artists, but their only releases as artists came two years later on the company's VIP subsidiary. 'He's an Oddball' b/w 'By Some Chance' and 'You Need Me' b/w 'Moonlight on the Beach' were good records, different from their early jazz and voice albums, more mainstream. 11 days before the release on their final single, Kay's daughter Little Lisa emerged on VIP as well with 'Hang on Bill' b/w 'Puppet on a String' (August 20, 1965). The dynamic sisters appeared with Chris Clark on Clark's November, 1965, single 'Do Right Baby, Do Right.' Nothing hit with much authority and no more recordings were issued. Helen and Kay's songs were being snapped up mostly as album cuts by other artists including the Miracles' 'Baby, Baby' and Edwin Starr and Blinky's LP Just We Two which featured 'Can't We Be Strangers Again' and 'I See a Rainbow.'
'This Love Starved Heart of Mine,' a song they wrote for Marvin Gaye, became popular in Europe but didn't get unearthed until after the singer's untimely demise; according to Kay, they originally wrote the song for Al Wilson, Wilson recorded it but it never came out, Hal Davis and Marc Gordon tried to get him signed to Motown but couldn't swing a deal, so the soulful singer signed with Jerry Fuller's Rocky Road Records where he hit with 'Show and Tell.'
The sisters no longer write together, but collectively and with others they each have about 84 songs registered with BMI. Helen retired from music and had long since returned to school and earned a Ph.D in Psychology, she's now Mrs. Helen Mastor, Ph.D. Kay's in for life; she teaches music and still records songs with her husband in hopes of placing them with someone. Her daughter Lisa didn't have any hits at Motown, but later scored a big one with Sergio Mendez as Lisa Miller.

Way Out ....Too Far, the debut album by the Lewis Sisters aka the Singing School Teachers. Jazz pianist Les McCann adds a soulful touch to the already touching sound of Helen and Kay Lewis on a dozen standards, including 'S'Wonderful,' 'The Thrill Is Gone,' 'Not for Me,' and 'What Is This Thing Called Love.' The siblings' poignant singing and McCann's vibrant piano playing was a step up from the mundane easy listening fodder that dominated mainstream media in this era.

1 What Is This Thing Called Love?

2 Day by Day

3 Just Friends

4 It Matters Not at All

5 Thrill Is Gone

6 'S Wonderful

7 'Round Midnight

8 This Can't Be Love

9 Love Letters

10 But Not for Me

11 Moonlight in Vermont

12 That's All

Way Out .....Too Far (1969)

The Lewis Sisters On Motown (V.I.P.)

Breakaway
He's An Oddball
Moonlight On The Beach
By Some Change
Don't Make Me Live Without Your Love
You Need Me

The Lewis Sisters On Motown