Thursday, October 1, 2026
Island Park resident Pamela Lewis (aka Champagne Pam), is heading to New York City with a new show, “New York State of Mind: the Songs of Billy Joel”, at the Metropolitan Room on January 16 and 17. She took the “Champagne” moniker because there is another cabaret singer named Pam and she did not want there to be any confusion, and “champagne just rolled off her tongue,” according to her publicist Stephen Hanks.
Lewis grew up in Floral Park, Hanks explained, where her sister took her to mass, and she sang with her siblings in the folk group. “Who knew that her impromptu performance at age 5 of “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer,” for a holiday gala crowd in Floral Park, would prove to be the catalyst for a successful singing career,” he said.
Singing professionally since 1995, she joined the traveling cast of “Joey and Mary’s Irish/Italian Comedy Wedding”. In 2000, Pamela became the lead front singer for a 10-piece party and event band. She did a show at the Metropolitan Room in 2010, and followed that in 2011 with “The Dog-Walking Diva”’ at Don’t Tell Mama. In 2013, she won the Broadway World Award for ‘Best Female Vocalist,’ for another show, “Daddy’s Little Girl”.
Lewis had dreamt of a career as professional singer since childhood when her late aunt Marilyn—also a singer and performer—introduced her to the world of cabaret. Her affinity for the arts led her to guitarist John Hurley, who became her writing partner and later her husband.
Pamela and John’s creative accomplishments include taking first place in a 2007 Dean Koontz’s “Shoot the Good Guy”’ audio/video book trailer contest. Bantam Dell Publishing and the critically acclaimed novelist himself selected the winning entry.
Pamela currently writes original music with bassist Schuyler Deale, who for many years was a bass player in Billy Joel’s band.
