A magical musical journey from Belfast to the Costa

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Dave Lewis has enjoyed an illustrious career as a performing artiste as well as establishing himself as a respected composer

Tony Bryant

Friday, 23 January 2026, 13:48

There are numerous foreign musicians living along the Costa del Sol who achieved varying levels of success during their careers.

Then they headed to Spain for a relaxed life in the sun, or with the aim of continuing to make music and becoming part of the local live music scene.

But not many of these people can boast of jamming with Gary Moore, having their songs covered on the albums of established musicians, or written chart-topping hits for world-renowned stars, let alone having a song included on the latest album by Van Morrison.

These are just a few of the highlights that musician Dave Lewis has enjoyed during a career that has spanned 50 years.

Lewis has enjoyed an illustrious career as a performing artiste as well as establishing himself as a respected composer. The musician and his wife, Caroline, have "always had a passion for Spain", so they bought a house on the Costa Blanca 19 years ago, but they longed for a change, so they relocated to the Costa del Sol in 2025.

Born in Belfast at the dawn of the rock and roll era, the singer/songwriter grew up listening to blues legends like John Mayall and Eric Clapton, and by the time he left school at 15, he had mastered both the guitar and piano.

He started writing and performing songs during his childhood. By the time he was 12, his mother, one of his driving forces, was securing the youngster guest spots in Belfast social clubs and bars.

"I grew up listening to blues music and I was hooked from an early age. My mother sent me for piano lessons when I was around eight years old. She was hellbent on pushing me into competitions," he tells SUR in English, in a distinctive Belfast accent.

A number one hit

Lewis pursued a solo career after performing with three established bands in Belfast, and by 1975, he was supporting renowned groups like Fairport Convention, and Don McLean, with whom he appeared in London's Hyde Park in front of 85,000 people. The same year, he wrote a song that Demis Roussos recorded (Happy to Be on an Island in the Sun), which was a number one hit in many parts of Europe and which reached number five in the UK charts.

"One day I got a call to ask me if I wanted to hang out with Nana Mouskouri's husband, who played in Nana's band. It was during this period that I wrote a little song, which Demis Roussos recorded. I was on tour with Fairport at the time, and this song was sailing up the charts. I later opened a show for Demis at the Royal Festival Hall and he brought me back on stage to perform this song with him. I felt very honoured that Demis, who is a really good guy, chose to record one of my songs," the musician explains.

According to Lewis, Ireland was a "very competitive place" during the 1970s, a time when he first met Phil Lynott and Gary Moore, who at that time were members of Skid Row, before finding greater fame with Thin Lizzy.

"I used to have jamming sessions with Gary Moore, who was 14 at the time, in my mum's attic. On my first trip to Dublin, Phil Lynott carried my guitar into the venue, although that was before he became famous," he says, bursting into laughter.

Lewis' success with song writing continued in 1978, when two songs he had recorded for his second solo album, A Collection of Short Dreams, were covered on an album by renowned saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft, who played the saxophone on Gerry Rafferty's iconic hit Baker Street.

"Coveted piano bar gig"

In the 1980s, Lewis took a sabbatical from performing and touring in order to travel: on his return he reinvented himself as a singer-pianist after winning a competition run by the London Evening Standard. This resulted in a 14-year stint as resident pianist at the West End cocktail bars, Smollensky's Balloon and Smollensky's on the Strand, "the most coveted piano bar gig in London at the time".

Many years later, Lewis would use his skills as a pianist at the American Bar in London's Savoy Hotel, which, he says, "was like playing a part in a movie". This gig also lasted 14 years.

"First and foremost, I'm a singer/songwriter who loves to perform live. But this job appealed to me as a means of studying the Great American Songbook. It's just you, a mic and a Steinway piano in the middle of a room full of people who appreciate the finer things in life," he says.

Chance meeting

A chance meeting with "Van the Man" around 25 years ago led to Lewis performing on Van Morrison's 2005 album, Magic Time. Later that year, he also opened a show for Morrison, who he says "is from another planet altogether," in Belfast.

"We had a lot in common, so we began hanging out together. About eight years ago, he contacted me to say he wanted to record a song I had written in the '90s (Madame Butterfly Blues), but it didn't happen. But he phoned me a few weeks ago and told me he had recorded the song for his upcoming album (Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge), which is released on 23 January. I feel very proud. From Demis Roussos to Van Morrison's new album is quite a leap. The only problem is that I've not heard Van's version yet, which makes me a little nervous," he concludes, bursting into laughter once again.