PHILADELPHIA -- Richard (Rick) Lewis, a member of the doo-wop group the Silhouettes whose song Get a Job soared to the top of the charts in 1958, died yesterday. He was 71.
Lewis died of multiple organ failure at Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Lewis wrote Get a Job, the group's one big hit. It sold nearly two million copies and led to tours and appearances on Philadelphia's American Bandstand. Years later, the group Sha Na Na took its name from the spirited refrain of the Silhouettes' signature song.
After serving with the U.S. army in Korea, Lewis joined the Gospel Tornadoes. The quartet - Lewis, Bill Horton, Earl Beal and Raymond Edwards - changed its name to the Silhouettes in 1957. The group signed with Junior Records and recorded a 45 with Get a Job on the B side.
Lewis was the last surviving member of the original lineup.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)