It remains something of a perplexing mystery why an artist as talented as Linda Lewis is not a household name in her own country, though recent collaborations with the likes of Turin Brakes, Jamiroquai, and Midfield General show how highly regarded she is by our hottest chart acts.

Although chart success proved intermittent during the seventies, Linda was way ahead of her time, fusing seemingly disparate musical elements together - folk, soul, pop, rock and reggae - into a totally unique signature sound. 

With the recent emergence of black female artists cast in a similar stylistic mould to Linda Lewis - in particular the UK's own Des'ree and the USA's India.Arie - the kind of cultural and musical cross-pollination that Linda Lewis pioneered some 30 years ago is now an accepted part of the popular music landscape. There couldn't be a better time for a re-evaluation of the remarkable contribution Linda Lewis has made to the UK music scene.

The oldest of six children, Linda Ann Lewis was born in West Ham, East London, into a close knit community of mostly mixed-race families. From an early age, Linda displayed a precocious vocal talent and would often sing in public. 

She was only three-years-old when her mother decided to send Linda to a local stage school. Over the next few years, Linda was regularly cast in non-speaking TV and film roles, in 1961 appearing in the film, 'A Taste Of Honey,' and in 1964, she played the role of a screaming fan in the first Beatles' movie, 'A Hard Day's Night.'

Linda's first band was The Q Set (named after a local nightspot, The Cue Club, which the group regularly performed at). 'We did blue beat, Ska and very heavy Jamaican style music,' she remembers. 

By her early teens, though, Linda had dismissed the idea of undertaking a career as a singer, instead concentrating on passing her 'O' Levels, with the intention of attending Art College. But in 1965, when she was fifteen, a significant event happened in her life, which played an important role in shaping her future career path. 

Linda takes up the story: 'I was in Southend on a weekend out with my mates and John Lee Hooker was playing there. We got in the club - we managed to make ourselves look older - and somehow, I got up and had a jam with the band. He wasn't actually on stage but I met him afterwards and then we met up again and he introduced me to this guy called Ian Samwell, who discovered Elkie Brooks and was the producer of The Small Faces. That's when my professional life kind of took off really.'

Samwell seemed deeply appreciative of Linda's lissom, multi-octave voice and likened its texture and expressive quality to Motown singer, Mary Wells. His interest in recording Linda resulted in a contract for a one-off single release with Polydor Records. Under Samwell's expert direction, Linda recorded 'You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet.' The single failed to make a big impact on record buyers generally (though it has since become a highly coveted collectors' item) but it did enhance her credibility with her school friends and on a deeper level, it prompted her to seriously contemplate a career in the music business.
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