Gary Lewis is the son of Jerry Lewis[7] and singer Patti Palmer.[8] His mother, who was performing at the time with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra,[9] intended to name him after her favorite actor, Cary Grant, but her son became “Gary” as the result of a clerical error.[10][7] He received a set of drums as a gift for his 15th birthday in 1960.[10] When he was 18, Lewis formed the band “Gary and the Playboys” with four friends.[10] Joking at the lateness of bandmates to practice, Lewis referred to them as “playboys“, and the name stuck.[11]
