Fizzy Qwick

Fizzy Qwick (born February 9, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter who has recorded in various musical styles ranging from R&B to New Wave. Her recordings from the early 1980s have become popular among fans of Northern Soul since the early 21st century.

Biography

Born Debravon Lewis in Solano County, California, United States, the daughter of Edward Z. (October 27, 1925–June 24, 1997) and Ethel (née Devine) Lewis, she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lewis recorded under her own name either as a member of the R&B group Bridge or as a solo artist. Bridge evolved from an earlier group called Vitamin E, that was produced by Norman Connors. The new group was a septet that featured both teenager Derick Hughes and Lewis on vocals. Lewis also contributed to the group as a songwriter.

In the early 1980s she formed a New Wave trio called Tiggi Clay, allegedly named after a notorious bully (who is portrayed in their initial music video). For this group she adopted the colorful stage name Fizzy Qwick. Her bandmates had the equally colorful names of William "Billy" Peaches (real name: Hilary Leon Thompson) and Romeo "Breath" McCall (real name: De Wayne Sweet). In 1983, Tiggi Clay signed with the newly formed Motown rock subsidiary, Morocco. The album jacket from their self-titled debut showed the trio only in silhouette, presumably to create a mystique and/or conceal their racial identity. A similar technique was used with other label artists such as white soul singer Teena Marie and Berry Gordy's son Rockwell on their initial releases. In fact, Rockwell's smash hit, "Somebody's Watching Me" was peaking on the charts at the same time as Tiggi Clay's initial single, "Flashes" entered Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Unfortunately, despite positive reviews from trade publications including Billboard, their album was not commercially successful.