Since the mid-'90s, British singer/songwriter David Lewis has led an impressive dual career as a part-time creator of thoughtful, jangling folk-pop, and as a well-traveled, widely published academic; he is a Professor of Social Policy and Development at the London School of Economics and Social Science. Having his primary career choice settled early on gave Lewis a certain amount of freedom to pursue music for passion rather than commerce, recording and touring strictly on his own terms. A long-standing creative partnership with fellow singer/songwriter and old college friend John Wesley Harding resulted in a series of interesting and finely crafted independent albums like 2001's For Now and 2014's Old World New World. Returning to release music every five to seven years, Lewis has built a sturdy and reliable second career with pleasing results. His fifth album, Among Friends, was released in 2020.

Growing up in Bath, in the southwest of England, Lewis came from a musical family and by the time he was a teenager in the mid-'70s, he was playing guitar and keyboards, taking influence from artists like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, the Strawbs, Al Stewart, the Clash, and Patti Smith. University, where he studied anthropology, expanded his horizons even further and for a time he played synthesizer in a band named Zero Option. After beginning graduate studies at Cambridge University, he met up with another grad student, Wesley Stace, a musician who would eventually become known as John Wesley Harding. Sensing similar eclectic musical tastes, the pair hooked up and began playing old folk and blues tunes learned from Ry Cooder records, and busked around the city with another friend, David Baddiel, who'd go on to fame and fortune in his own right as a comedian in the U.K. However, it was anthropology that really claimed Lewis' attention as he completed his studies. But while on field work in Bangladesh in the late '80s to complete his PhD, he began writing his own songs, which he worked on with Harding, the two communicating through tape and fax. Three of their co-compositions -- "The Red Rose and the Briar," "Ordinary Weekend," and "Cupid and Psycho" -- appeared on various Harding albums.

By the time Lewis began work on his own album in the mid-'90s, he was already a published author with a burgeoning academic career. Pursuing his creative passion on the side, he recorded in San Francisco with Harding and Scott Matthews producing and guests like Robert Lloyd and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck helping out. His debut, No Straight Line, appeared in 1996 and introduced his melodic, jangling folk-pop style. Almost immediately, Harding and Lewis began work on a new album. This time, however, the recording would be a very drawn-out affair, given Lewis' teaching schedule and Harding's own career demands. In fact, what would become For Now was recorded in three sessions, spread out over five years, and included a guest vocal from longtime Lewis hero Al Stewart. Following the album's release on Appleseed in fall 2001, Lewis undertook a U.S. tour, opening for Harding. In what would become a trend of his musical career, Lewis' third outing arrived after another lengthy gap, this time with sessions -- again co-produced by Harding -- taking place in Seattle. A mix of earthy folk-rock and quieter solo fair, Ghost Rhymes, appeared in 2007, after which he settled back into professorial life at the London School of Economics and Political Science, gigging occasionally when he had the time.

Another seven years passed before Lewis had accumulated enough material he deemed worthy of release, resulting in 2014's stripped-down Old World New World. A more intimate affair, it retained the consistent quality and thoughtful nature of his previous albums. For his next release, he again teamed up with Harding, this time in New Jersey at Daniel Smith's (aka Danielson) studio to record a full-band album with guests like Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering) and Patrick Berkery (the War on Drugs). Titled Among Friends, Lewis' fifth album was released in 2020. ~ Chris Nickson & Timothy Monger, Rovi