Chris Lewington has been a musician since his early teens when he first picked up the guitar more inspired to produce movie scores from listening to the likes of Ennio Morricone and John Barry than pop songs. As a young songwriter, Chris was hooked on the innovative and uplifting sounds of the 60s, particularly writers like Scott Walker and Leonard Cohen, and their ability to put so much meaning into the lyrics of a three-minute pop song.
Ready for the stage Chris Lewington started his first band, called The Silence, in the early 80s. Chris released his first singles, “A Car in Denmark” and “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter,” There were also tracks released as part of the cult compilation album, A Splash of Colour, that followed the psychedelic revival that was going on at that time.”
By the mid-eighties, Lewington started another band The Bicycle Thieves, which had a similar style as REM and Lloyd Cole. With The Bicycle Thieves, Lewington penned several singles which had success, including “Louise,” which went into rotation on Radio 1. “Louise” would go on to win the 1989 TDK Songwriter Award.
Another single, “Waterfront” received a lot of airplay and some notice on the UK Charts. Chris also got the chance to work with the renowned producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, The Moody Blues,) during this period.
In the early 90s, Chris returned to his singer-songwriter roots as he started a new project called The Famous Blue Raincoats, a folky acoustic style band that performed in smaller sized venues in and around London. During the 90s and 2000s, Lewington returned to the studio, to re-release previous albums, compose new material, and pitch to publishers.
It was not until 2018 that Chris finally set aside time in his studio to finally release his first official full-length album as a solo artist. He titled the album, Landells Road, named after the address where it was recorded, and as a sort of honor to The Beatles’ Abbey Road. The retro amalgam of stylistic sounds found on Landells Road reflects Lewington’s love of bands such as The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Moody Blues.
2020 will see the release of the follow-up album to Landells Road with “Riverside” due for release this summer. The songs show a progression from the previous album with more influence of 70s singer-songwriters and current singer-songwriters like Vance Joy, Bon Iver, and First Aid Kit. There is also more of a country that feels in some of the songs.
“During the last decade, I’ve become more eclectic, listening to world music,” explains Chris. While Lewington continues to support his latest album, he is evolving his songwriting style. “I think my compositions will always be based in the sounds of the 60s and 70s – yet will have overlapping new elements as I integrate them, he offers. One thing is certain, there will always be a timelessness in the tunes of Chris Lewington. He has studied the masters of classic songwriting, and he knows the key ingredients to pen a hit song never change.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.chrislewington.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLewingtonmusic
https://chrislewington.bandcamp.com
