David Lewis

David Lewis (born 8 September 1958; White Plains, New York) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead vocalist of the R&B and pop group Atlantic Starr.
 

Early Life

Lewis was raised in White Plains, New York, where he grew up alongside his brothers Wayne and Jonathan Lewis. The trio's shared musical interests led them to form a band together while still young.
 

Career

In 1976, Lewis co-founded Atlantic Starr in White Plains, New York, alongside his brothers Wayne Lewis, on vocals and keyboards, and Jonathan Lewis, on keyboards and trombone, together with drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer and percussionist-flutist Joseph Phillips; early members also included lead singer Sharon Bryant, trumpeter William Sudderth III and saxophonist Damon Rentie, later replaced by Koran Daniels.

Originally performing under the name Newban, the group signed to A&M Records on condition that they adopt a new name, releasing their self-titled debut album as Atlantic Starr in 1978, on which Lewis sang several of the group's lead vocal parts alongside Bryant, Wayne Lewis and Porter Carroll Jr. Further albums followed, including Straight to the Point (1979), Radiant (1981), featuring "When Love Calls," and Brilliance (1982), which produced the number two R&B hit "Circles," both led by Bryant. Bryant scored a further hit with "Touch a Four Leaf Clover" from 1983's Yours Forever before departing for a solo career, and was replaced by Barbara Weathers.

Following a period of internal turnover that saw five members leave the band in 1984, the group, now a quintet centred on the Lewis brothers and Phillips, released As the Band Turns in 1985, featuring "Silver Shadow," co-written and produced by David and Wayne Lewis with Weathers on lead vocals, and "Secret Lovers," also co-written and produced by David and Wayne Lewis, which became the group's biggest hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1987, the group released "Always," co-written by David Lewis, Wayne Lewis and Jonathan Lewis, on which David Lewis provided the song's distinctive falsetto lead vocal, later becoming one of the group's most enduring hits. He was the sole songwriter of 1989's "My First Love," which topped the Billboard Black Singles chart, though the lead vocals on that track were shared by Porscha Martin and Wayne Lewis.

On the group's 1991 album Love Crazy, produced by David and Wayne Lewis, David co-wrote the tracks "Love Crazy," "You Hit the Spot," "Girl, Your Love's So Fine" and "Unconditional Love" alongside his brother, and sang lead vocals on "Lookin' for Love Again," "Come Lover" and "My Special Lover." The album's biggest hit, "Masterpiece," written by Kenny Nolan, reached number three on both the pop and R&B charts. In 1992, Atlantic Starr appeared as themselves in an episode of the soap opera Another World. The group moved to Arista Records in 1994, releasing the album Time, which included the minor hit "I Remember You" and proved to be its final major-label release. David Lewis left Atlantic Starr in 1994 to return to his Christian faith.

Personal Life

Lewis is married to Marian Lewis, a former high-fashion model who worked with the Ford Modeling Agency; together, the couple co-founded a Christian ministry following his departure from the group.

As a co-writer and lead vocalist on many of Atlantic Starr's biggest hits, Lewis played a central role in shaping the group's sound across its most commercially successful years, leaving behind a body of work that remains a staple of 1980s R&B and adult contemporary radio.