The cat sitting at the drums and singing the lead is Gary Lewis, son of the legendary comedian Jerry Lewis. But his famous dad didn’t help launch his career. His band, known originally as Gary And The Playboys, got their first big break by winning an audition to do gigs at Disneyland — without them knowing anything about his family. Producer Snuff Garrett learned about this from Les Brown. Financed by his mom, Patti Lewis, the group got into the studio to make this record. But Snuff wanted a hit, so he didn’t let the guys play their own instruments. The actual musicians on this record read like a Who’s Who of studio legends at the time. Tommy Allsup, Leon Russell, Joe Osborn, and Hal Blaine. Ron Hicklin laid down the vocals, with overdubs by Gary. And that, as they say, is the REST of the story…

Jerry Lewis is 86 now and living in Las Vegas. He’s struggled with cancer, diabetes, and addiction to pain meds for back pain. But, he’s a fighter and a survivor. Despite having raised well over $1.5 BILLION dollars for MD research, his dedication to the annual telethons has actually been criticized by activist groups who argue about who should get the money. Hard to believe…

[June 2018 Update:  Sadly, Jerry Lewis passed away on 20 August 2017.]