Suffering from a disease that causes debilitating hearing loss, GRAMMY winner Huey Lewis says he is unable to sing or perform, and his new album, Weather, might be his last, in an interview with John Blackstone for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 26 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.
Lewis, the frontman for
Huey Lewis and the News, which is known for such hits as "The Power of Love," "If This Is It," "The Heart of Rock and Roll," among others, has been battling Ménière's disease for two years. He tells Blackstone it started when he lost his hearing in his right ear. Then, he says, during a performance in Dallas on Jan. 27, 2018, the symptoms became debilitating.
"And I went on stage and it was horrible," Lewis says. "It was just unbelievable. Couldn't hear a thing. Sang out of tune. Had the worst night of my life."
"And he was a whole step flat," says band member Bill Gibson. "It was clear that he could not get the pitch of the song. So I remember looking at our bass player,
John Pierce. I just - we looked - immediately looked at each other and went, 'Uh oh.'"
Lewis, 69, can't record or perform anymore because of the disease. The band will release a new album,
Weather, next month. There are only seven songs on it.
Lewis tells Blackstone he has good and bad days with his hearing. The disease doesn't just cause hearing loss but hearing distortion.
After Lewis' worst night, the band canceled a tour, ending their time on the road together for nearly 40 years.
The singer talks with Blackstone about his career, his hearing loss and more. He also said he had no intention of slowing down - until Ménière's made the decision for him.
"All those shows. All those shows were canceled," Lewis says. "And I miss the guys. I miss the camaraderie, you know?"
CBS SUNDAY MORNING is broadcast Sundays (9:00-10:30 AM, ET) on the
CBS Television Network.
Rand Morrison is the executive producer.
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