He died of cancer Saturday, Sept. 27. He was best known for his groundbreaking 1950s work in the Rock 'n' Roll Trio and recorded many rockabilly classics including: Tear It Up, Honey Hush, Lonesome Train (On a Lonesome Track) and The Train Kept A-Rollin'.
Newman was nominated for a Tony last year for his role in Our Town, in a production that originated at his Connecticut theatre company. The production will soon be shown on PBS.