Maxayn Lewis

Lewis was born Paulette Parker, the first of four children to Emzie and Lorene Parker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in Greenwood, she listened to Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald. In the fifth grade, Parker created an all-female singing group called The Continentals.[3]

She became a conservatory-trained pianist and attended Oklahoma State University where she studied sociology and psychology.[4] Parker left the school after she was assaulted by a white male on campus. She became depressed after the incident, but soon she was offered an opportunity to sing as part of a nightclub act with a white male vocalist, Karl Day, booked as "Night and Day".[2]

While Parker was performing at The Alley nightclub, she received a call from Ike Turner to set up an audition for a position as an Ikette.[4] She auditioned for him when Ike & Tina Turner were in Independence, Kansas for a concert in 1967,[3] and was hired on the spot. Turner met with her parents to get their blessings to go on tour. Parker spent over a year as an Ikettes and credits the Turners, particularly Ike Turner who she described as an "excellent businessman," for educating her on show business. "We were really well paid. Ike would read the contracts to us and tell us what a rider was. He asked 'Do you understand?' He would teach us what each part of the contract meant, so that we were all in it together," she said.[2]

After her tenure as an Ikette, she embarked on a blues festival tour with Bobby "Blue" Bland. She released two singles under her birth name on Duke Records in 1969. Through Bland's bandleader, Ernie Fields Jr., Lewis met her husband musician Andre Lewis. She declined the chance to be produced by Donny Hathaway, opting to form a band with Andre. Now going by the name Maxayn Lewis, their band called Maxayn was named after her. The name Maxayn came from her uncle who called her goddess of the wind when she sang. She said: "I'm from Oklahoma so Native culture was always big. In the Mayan culture there was a Goddess of the Wind named Maxayn."[5] Inspired by Tina Turner, she "wanted to have one name, like Tina, that one-name identity."[3] The band Maxayn consisted of her singing lead, Andre Lewis (synthesizers), Marlo Henderson (guitar), and Emry Thomas (drums). They issued three albums on Capricorn Records: Maxayn (1972) Mindful (1973, US R&B #43) and Bail Out for Fun! (1974).[6][2] The band moved to Manticore Records in 1975 and were working on a fourth album when issues with the label caused them to abandon the project. Andre signed to Motown and released three disco albums under the name Mandré. Lewis contributing songwriting to his albums.

In the 1980s, Lewis co-wrote "So Much More" by Ramsey Lewis and "We Belong Together" by Rockie Robbins, both songs reached the Billboard R&B chart.[7] Lewis toured as a backing vocalist with Gino Vannelli, Donna Summer, and Rufus. She provided background vocals for the soundtrack of the film Grease (1978). She also sang backup on albums for Steve Marriott, Sammy Hagar, The Gap Band, Rosanne Cash, Rita Coolidge, B.B. King, and Namie Amuro.[2] She sang the track "Turn You On" on the soundtrack of the film Peeples (2013).

For a while Lewis lived in Tokyo; she currently lives in Los Angeles.

• Maxayn Lewis Credits on AllMusic
• Maxayn Lewis Discography on Discogs