The U.K.’s talented singer-songwriter, Chris Lewington uses a tried and tested technique when he composes a song, he calls it “classic songwriting.” The result is an eclectic array of music built on a foundation of styles from the late 60s and 70s. While at times is Lewington’s works seem almost “Beatle-esque,” at other times, one can hear a myriad of other influences he masterfully mixes into his compositions. Indeed, there’s an inherently timeless feel within tunes of Chris Lewington.
Chris Lewington has been a musician since his early teens when he first picked up the guitar, an instrument he was drawn to due to his love of film music. Lewington gives insight, “As a kid, I watched a lot of the old films of The Beatles on T.V., also reading the Hunter Davies biography of the band really struck a chord with me.”
While The Beatles gave him a taste of pop music, a young Lewington was even more strongly affected by movie scores from the likes of Ennio Morricone and John Barry. He gives insight, “I recall being a lad of only eleven knowing I wanted to compose film themes when I grew up.” As a young songwriter, Chris was hooked on the innovative and uplifting sounds of the 60s, along with the messages they delivered. Later in his teens, he got into the singer-songwriters of the time, such as Paul Simon, and he taught himself how to play the piano.
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,” Lewington explains “These first two singles were released as part of a compilation, A Splash of Colour, that Chris Lewingtonfollowed the psychedelic revival that was going on at that time.”
By the mid-eighties, Lewington started another band project called The Habit, a gothic-based group. What followed was a more successful band, again formed by Chris, called 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 Chris Lewington 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 2017 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.
“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:
http://www.chrislewington.co.uk
https://chrislewington.bandcamp.com
