Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis revisits her first solo album at the Chicago Theatre.
Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis started her career in show business as a hardworking child actor. But when she heard the siren call of music in her late teens, she left the thespian ranks for good.
"I started a band at 17 and that was the beginning of the end of my acting career," she says. "I retired from acting at 19 or 20. I had worked long enough to get my pension and that was cool."
The kid who landed roles in a plethora of TV shows including "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Golden Girls" grew up to become an indie-rock darling as a member of Rilo Kiley. A decade ago Lewis launched her solo career with the acclaimed album "Rabbit Fur Coat." She's on tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of that release and plays the Chicago Theatre on Sept. 8.
Lewis comes from a long line of professional entertainers. Her mother was a singer, her father played harmonica and her grandparents were vaudeville performers. "I feel very proud to carry that torch," she says about continuing in the family tradition.
Lewis called recently to talk about revisiting her debut album, her relationship with her late father and working with the legendary Lucille Ball. This is an edited transcript.
Q: You released "Rabbit Fur Coat" a decade ago. How does it feel to revisit those songs?
A: It feels just as vital as it did 10 years ago. It causes me to reflect. How do I feel now at 40 as opposed to 30 when the album came out? So much has happened since then — personal growth and philosophical shifts — so it was surprising when we revisited these tunes and they still felt relevant.
Q: You've always dressed in very striking clothes, from baby-doll dresses to country queen gowns to psychedelic 1970s pantsuits. How did your style evolve?
A: I was born in Las Vegas and my babysitter was a female Elvis Presley impersonator. My first memory is being in her arms and she was fully dressed up as Elvis. She was an avid thrift-shopper so I started going to thrift shops when I was very young. You could put something together for no money at all. In my creative life, I found that the outfit helped define the feeling of the record. Whenever I have a bunch of tunes written, I always find a kind of uniform that accompanies the songs.
Q: Your 2014 album 'The Voyager' was written in the wake of your father's death. Can you tell me about him?
A: He was a musician, a harmonica prodigy. He started on the road when he was 12 or 13 with a group called the Harmonicats. He met my mother in Los Angeles at the musicians' union. There was a bulletin board (with job listings). A Las Vegas lounge act was looking for a singer and a harmonica player. My parents drove out there separately and joined the band Love's Way. My mother and father split up when I was 1 or 2 years old, so I never saw him when I was growing up. I always wondered about him. That's where my songwriting began — the very first song I wrote when I was 10 years old was about my father.
Q: Were you able to get to know him later in life?
A: At the end of his life he got very sick. My half-brother in the Midwest took him in and we all got the opportunity to hang out for the first time. It was really a luxury to do that. Then my father passed away. He was inspiring. He was a true show-biz person.
Q: After your parents' divorce, you moved with your mother to Los Angeles. You found work as a child actor. How did that come about?
A: I was 3 when I was discovered by this very famous child actors' agent Iris Burton. She worked with Kirsten Dunst, Fred Savage and all of the Phoenix children. Any kid that was really working was with Iris Burton. She would go out scouting new talent. She spotted me at my preschool in the San Fernando Valley. I was this little disheveled redhead in blue jeans. My mom was on welfare. The acting was a way to make money. It was my life and job. I was up for it.
Q: You had roles in TV shows with a number of acting legends including Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur. You acted with Lucille Ball in her sitcom 'Life with Lucy.' Do you remember much about her?
A: I do. I was 10 or 11. I have very distinct memories. It was at the end of her career. The show was not a success, so I think it was a very dark time for her. As a child, I didn't understand what she was going through. She mentored me and made sure I was prepared on the set. She could be very tough on me, but she was also very loving. I think she had great affection for me because I was a redhead. When the show got canceled we planned a wrap party. My mother and I lived in a tiny house in Van Nuys. Not a great neighborhood. For some reason, we offered up our little house for the party. I remember the moment when Lucy walked through the front door. She looked around and said, 'What a dump!' (laughs) Then she gave me a huge hug and kiss and hung out for the entire afternoon. She was really something.
Q: Did you have any singing roles as a young actress?
A: I didn't do a lot of singing but I auditioned for the John Huston movie 'Annie' when I was really young. I tried, but I was too young to get the part. I auditioned for the movie 'The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking,' but I didn't get that one either. Thank God. (laughs) I was devastated at the time, but I don't think I would be doing this now if I had been Pippi.