Rest In Peace, Pal Joey Lewis
In the early hours of Carnival Monday we lost the legendary and much loved musician and bandleader Joey Lewis.
The holder of a 2002 Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Music, Lewis started playing music when he was 10 and formed his own band in 1954 called Joey Lewis and the Teenagers.
He got the nickname ‘Pal Joey’ after the 1957 American movie “Pal Joey” which starred Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth. He later changed the name of his band to Pal Joey and His Orchestra.
One of the longest surviving music entities in Trinidad and Tobago, Pal Joey Lewis served as accompanists for a number of calypsonians, including the Mighty Sparrow, Mighty Duke, Mighty Terror, Lord Shorty, Mighty Chalkdust, and Singing Francine.
Joey Lewis died on February 8, 2016 at the age of 78.
We send condolences to his friends, family and fellow musicians.