Lew Lewis

Southend geezer Lew Lewis (real name Keith Lewis) rose to fame as part of the pre-punk pub rock surge of the 1970s.

Originally a member of Eddie & The Hotrods, he played with Dr Feelgood before he began fronting The Lew Lewis Band and Lew Lewis Reformer.

Stiff Records released three singles by Lew and his band in the 70s including Boogie On The Street, Out For A Lark and Win Or Lose, plus the widely-hailed album classic Save The Wail.

Lew also toured for a while as part of Wilko Johnson’s band.

Lewis was involved in the robbery of £5,386 from a post office in West Road, Westcliff, in December 1986 and was sent to prison for seven years.

Despite his prison sentence, Lewis had undiagnosed “bipolar and psychotic episodes”, and a drug addiction. In November 2009 he announced that having had “mental health issues” and “a breakdown”, and been in and out of hospital “for the past eight years”, he was finally drug-free, and only taking prescribed medication. He began performing again with The Lew Lewis Band.