Huey Lewis And The News

Huey Lewis and the News gave voice to a generation that was both hard working and ready for fun. Comprised of Lewis, Sean Hopper, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla and Bill Gibson, the band soared to success with a number of pop singles.

Lewis and Hopper began playing together in the early 70s as a country-rock band called Clover, who acted as the backing band for Elvis Costello’s first album My Aim Is True. Clover spent some time in London, cultivating a small following, before returning to the US.

Once back on American soil, Lewis and Hopper started jamming with Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla and Bill Gibson, who has all played in Van Morrison’s backup band some years earlier. They called themselves American Express and released a disco single called “Exodisco.” In 1980, the group was signed to Chrysalis Records who asked them to change their name. The band decided on Huey Lewis and the News.

The band not only changed their name, but their musical style as well. The boys who had dabbled in disco fever began writing songs about working hard and partying and developed a clean and driving pop-rock sound. The group released a self-titled album in 1980 and followed up with Picture This, their second album, which was released in 1982. Picture This produced three singles, “Do You Believe in Love,” “Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do,” and “Workin’ for a Livin’.” This success combined with heavy touring started winning the band a following.

Huey Lewis and the News achieved huge success with their third album, Sports, which went multi-platinum. Its four singles, “Heart and Soul,” “I Want a New Drug,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” and “If This Is It,” were helped by their clever, comical music videos that received heavy airplay on MTV.

In 1985, the band achieved their first number one hit with the single “The Power of Love,” taken from the soundtrack to the mega-hit movie Back to the Future.

The band’s fourth album, Fore!, quickly shot to number one, propelled by the success of five top singles, “Stuck With You,” “Hip to be Square,” “Jacob’s Ladder,” “I Know What I Like,” and “Doing It All For My Baby.”

In 1994, Huey Lewis and the News reached back to their roots for an impassioned tribute to the early sounds of rock & roll, releasing Four Chords and Several Years Ago, a cover album on Elektra Records. The concept was simple: a real American band playing great American songs. The album included both classic R&B and rock & roll songs, and gave the band a chance to give their flavor to some well-respected oldies. The album generated the hit “But It’s Alright.” The band also released a greatest hits album on Elektra in 1996, titled The Time Flies: The Best of Huey Lewis and the News.