Clarence Lewis (3)

US rhythm & blues and soul blues singer, songwriter ("Nothin' In The World") from Birmingham, AL. He first recorded for Red Robin in 1954-55. He sang in the 1960s with Birmingham musician Erskine Hawkins and his band at the Minton Playhouse, a famous jazz club in Harlem. Lewis was drafted into the Army in 1957 and toured military bases for two years. When he got out of the Army, he went back to New York and recorded "Cupid's Little Helper" with Robinson's Fury Records in 1960. He was known at the time as "Little Junior Lewis." Lewis signed with Columbia Records in 1961 and recorded four singles as "Junior Lewis" from 1961-63. In 1964, he moved back to Birmingham and opened a lounge and record store on 29th Avenue in North Birmingham. "It was called The Players Lounge and One-Stop Record Shop". He later adopted the stage name C.L. Blast from 1967 to 1984. He recorded "I'll Take the Case" on Atlantic Records in 1969 and "What Can I Do (When My Thrill is Gone)" on United Records in 1971. From 1976-84, Lewis worked with another Birmingham native, Frederick Knight, best known for writing the 1979 hit song "Ring My Bell," on his Juana Label. In 1980, C.L. Blast had his first long-play album, "Lay Another Log on the Fire," which was released by Atlantic Cotillion Records, featuring some of the Juana recordings. That featured a funk disco song, "I Wanna Get Down," and a ballad, "If I Had Loved You More." The album hit No. 1 on the record charts in South Africa, and Lewis toured there for several months. August 20, 1934 – February 26, 2016