Diane Steinberg Lewis
Bio Article Compiled by:
Don Parent with
input from Diane Steinberg Lewis and several others.
09/20/23
From Don:
Ginger and I have known Diane Steinberg Lewis for about 30 years.
Compiling this Bio for her will be fun and interesting. Good Interesting.
What makes it interesting is where we should begin.
Diane and her family have so much meaningful music history to document that a single Bio won't do it justice.
We could talk about her forty-plus-year marriage to Kenny Lee Lewis, who has been with the Steve Miller Band for forty years. Their life alone is rich with stories. They have two daughters and have traveled all over the world!
Should we concentrate on her time as a Movie Star?
What about the fact that she comes from Music Royalty?
OK, Music Royalty First:
(Diane's Mom, At Left in Studio)
She was best known as Martha Jean, "The Queen" Steinberg, and was a World-Famous Detroit DJ.
Info From the Internet:
A larger-than-life figure on the air and in the black community, Martha Jean Steinberg was a charismatic Detroit media icon who leveraged her radio presence to influence and inspire the public. A pioneering R&B disc jockey, civic activist, spiritual leader, and trailblazing station owner, Steinberg cultivated a 46-year career and is a member of the Black Radio Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Queens Fun Facts:
Diane's Mom named The Funk Brothers!!! (Martha at right w/Funk Bros.)
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Martha Jean's youngest brother was Carl Jones!
- CARL JONES: was the first African American Quarterback for UCLA, playing with Mel Farr
Diane grew up surrounded by Famous family friends such as Patti LaBelle, BB King, and Elvis.
Yep, Elvis was in Diane's building.
Elvis opened for Diane's Father, Luther Steinberg's orchestra on occasion.
Diane's Father, Luther Steinberg, played trumpet with legends like Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington.
Her Father was a Big Band leader and did arrangements for artists, including B.B. King.
Diane's Father brought many famous names in music into their lives.
From Diane:
STAX RECORDS played a significant part in this story since my Father's youngest brother, Lewie Steinberg, was the bassist and Co-founder of BOOKER T & THE MGs.
(Photo Left)
The band members were Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson, and Lewie Steinberg.
Lewie also brought drummer Al Jackson with him from Willie Mitchell's Band.
Willie was a trumpeter/band leader contemporary of my Father, Luther Steinberg, also a trumpeter and band leader.
My Father had a Mid-South Tri-State hit called "Ridin' The Boogie" under the name "Lou Sargeant" & was managed and recorded by Sam Phillips and Leonard Chess for Sun Records.
Note from Don: Do a Google Search for Sam Phillips and Leonard Chess. Fascinating Music History.
Diane's Fun Facts: She wrote "The Theme to 'An Evening at the Improv"!
Diane was on the Radio as a news lady in College at Western Michigan University.
Excellent "On The Job Training".
In 2000 - 2002, after her Mom passed, she was back on the Radio doing "Reflections of The Queen". This segued from Re-plays of her mom's noon show 'Inspiration Time. ' Her Mom had always wanted her to do this.
Diane's own words: "I've played as an instrumentalist and sang with heavy music folks.
Here's just a few"......................:
- The Darryl Leonard Line-up (Big Band)
Both Diane and her husband, Kenny Lee Lewis, performed with The Darrell Leonard Line-Up back to the 1970s at early venues like Trancas. - The Hard Rock Fest All-Star Band in Puerto Vallarta backing (Sam Moore, Mark Farner/Grand Funk Railroad), Craig Fuller (Little Feat & Pure Prairie League), Steve Augeri (Journey), Micki Dolenz (Monkees), Elliott Easton (The Cars), Billy Burnette (Fleetwood Mac), Skunk Baxter (Doobie Bros/Steeley Dan)
From Diane: "I also played in "The All-Star Band" (btw…The only girl in the band) w/ Curly Smith. Kenny Aronoff, Teddy Andreadis, Kenny Lee Lewis, Kenny Gradney, and Billy Burnette.
I played in the band with the MEMPHIS GROUP w/ Sam Moore & me. Skunk Baxter played on almost everything, too"!
Note from Don: Skunk Baxter mentioned above deserves his own Bio: Steely Dan, The Doobie Bros, and more. Watch for it in our Music Bios Section.
The Pure Prairie League mentioned above had singer and multi-instrumentalist Vince Gill as a member. He is now on tour with The Eagles.
Diane, The Movie Star!
From Diane:
"Of course, in the movie Sg
t Peppers, I acted and performed with The BeeGees, Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, Earth Wind & Fire".
I learned acting Chops from the Great Donald Pleasance and others like Paul Nicholas, etc.
I was with all those Stars in the Movie's Finale".
"I performed with others such as Cheap Trick, Jefferson Starship, Dave Mason, Poco, and many more".
Note from Don: As I type this, Diane's husband, Kenny Lee Lewis, as a part of The Steve Miller Band, is touring with The Eagles.
He is renewing his friendship with Eagles Member Timothy B. Schmit.
Timothy was a member of Poco mentioned above.
Kenny Lee Lewis's sister went to High School in Sacramento with Timothy.
I mention all this to remind our readers of something that comes up often in my Music History writing.
The "Six Degrees of Separation" at the Top of the Music World is a fascinating subject.
All these top performers are very interconnected.
Diane's Bio is a perfect Example.
Her husband Kenny's SMB is subbing for Steely Dan on the Eagles 2023 Tour.
Skunk Baxter, who Diane performed a lot with, was a part of Steely Dan, plus many others.
The more I write about the Top of the Music World, the more amazed I become at how tightly interconnected the Music Community is.
Diane's history of Music Royalty points that out.
Several of Diane's Early Records:
"Where Do We Go From Here" 1977
Music Video Link
"One More Time"
Music Video Link
Current Events:
Diane and her husband, Kenny Lee Lewis, live on California's beautiful Central Coast.
Their Two Adult Daughters, Sierra and Kendra, are active in Music and the Art World.
Sierra performs music occasionally with them. She is in Animation at Disney.
They travel extensively, and when Diane is not Teaching Music, she performs with her husband, Kenny Lee Lewis, in their Side Bands, such as "Frienz," doing interesting shows like this one below:
