Laurie Lewis
Encyclopedia
Laurie Lewis is an American bluegrass
musician.
as a teenager, at the sunset of the 1960s folk revival. She says of the Berkeley Folk Festivals where she first caught the folk
bug:
She began picking simple songs on the guitar
, then the fiddle
. After high school
, she drifted away from the music, but always kept her fiddle
under her bed, not knowing exactly why.
In her early 20s, she discovered the Bay Area bluegrass scene. To her, it was . .
The bluegrass scene of Northern California
was a powerful mix of the region's historic progressivism
and ardent devotion to musical tradition. Nobody minded that young Laurie was a woman, a non-southerner, or a novice. They did mind if she didn't want to learn, chapter and verse, the gospels of Bill Monroe
and Ralph Stanley
. It gave her a rock-ribbed foundation in the rudiments of American roots music.
In the mid-1970s, she co-founded the Good Ol' Persons, an all-female bluegrass band with Kathy Kallick. In 1979 she founded the Grant Street String Band, also including Beth Weil, Tom Bekeny, Greg Townsend
, and Steve Krouse, in which her own songwriting came to the forefront. In the late 1980s, she formed "Laurie Lewis and Grant Street". Since then, she has recorded solo and duo albums, usually accompanied by mandolin
artist and singer, Tom Rozum
. Nowadays, she often plays under different names with a fairly regular roster of musicians, calling themselves "Laurie Lewis and her Bluegrass Pals," "the Guest House Band;" in 2006, she renamed her group "Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands."
Many years ago, Lewis twice won California's Women's Fiddling championships. She is a versatile musician, having for many years played bass and sung with the late Dick Oxtot's Golden Age Jazz Band, as well as with the Bay Area band the Arkansas Sheiks. Lewis plays guitar and other string instruments. As a crossover artist, Lewis is comfortable with folk music
and some pop music
. She writes her own lyrics as well as composing the music. Her Songbook contains most of the songs she wrote in the twentieth century, as well as photographs from her from early life and the early days of her career. She has received a Grammy, and was previously nominated for that honor.
]
and several times with Garrison Keillor
on A Prairie Home Companion
. She is also the program director for a Music Camp on the Oregon Coast called Bluegrass at the Beach which she has done with Tom Rozum
since 1992.
Lewis's songs have been recorded by others, including Kathy Mattea
, and she has accompanied Holly Near
. She has been invited to accompany many other artists, including the late Kato Sanden, a Norwegian
pop star, and the legendary (but still active) Ralph Stanley
. Besides producing her own CDs, Lewis's skill in the recording studio has resulted in her being asked to produce recordings for a number of other artists. She is also in demand as a teacher on fiddle
and guitar
.
Lewis has toured widely in many parts of the world, including most Europe
an countries, China
, and Japan
. When not on tour, she makes her home in Berkeley, California
.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
musician.
History
Lewis fell in love with American folk musicAmerican folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
as a teenager, at the sunset of the 1960s folk revival. She says of the Berkeley Folk Festivals where she first caught the folk
American folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
bug:
"Oh, it was so exciting. Every night there were concerts, and during the day you'd be in a eucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
grove listening to someone making music with nothing between you and them. Every day I'd hear something new, Doc WatsonDoc WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
or the Greenbriar Boys. Something about it just invited me to start playing it."
She began picking simple songs on the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, then the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. After high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, she drifted away from the music, but always kept her fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
under her bed, not knowing exactly why.
In her early 20s, she discovered the Bay Area bluegrass scene. To her, it was . .
"like opening that door all over again. Here were all these people making music together, and I could immediately see myself as part of it. It woke up all that excitement I felt as a teenager, and I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life."
The bluegrass scene of Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
was a powerful mix of the region's historic progressivism
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and ardent devotion to musical tradition. Nobody minded that young Laurie was a woman, a non-southerner, or a novice. They did mind if she didn't want to learn, chapter and verse, the gospels of Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
and Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
. It gave her a rock-ribbed foundation in the rudiments of American roots music.
"It really was a different deal coming to bluegrass in the San Francisco Bay areaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. There weren't a lot of cutting contests; it was all about making music together, a focus on interdependency rather than individual prowess."
In the mid-1970s, she co-founded the Good Ol' Persons, an all-female bluegrass band with Kathy Kallick. In 1979 she founded the Grant Street String Band, also including Beth Weil, Tom Bekeny, Greg Townsend
Greg Townsend
Gregory Townsend is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in the fourth round of the 1983 NFL Draft...
, and Steve Krouse, in which her own songwriting came to the forefront. In the late 1980s, she formed "Laurie Lewis and Grant Street". Since then, she has recorded solo and duo albums, usually accompanied by mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
artist and singer, Tom Rozum
Tom Rozum
Tom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
. Nowadays, she often plays under different names with a fairly regular roster of musicians, calling themselves "Laurie Lewis and her Bluegrass Pals," "the Guest House Band;" in 2006, she renamed her group "Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands."
Many years ago, Lewis twice won California's Women's Fiddling championships. She is a versatile musician, having for many years played bass and sung with the late Dick Oxtot's Golden Age Jazz Band, as well as with the Bay Area band the Arkansas Sheiks. Lewis plays guitar and other string instruments. As a crossover artist, Lewis is comfortable with folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and some pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. She writes her own lyrics as well as composing the music. Her Songbook contains most of the songs she wrote in the twentieth century, as well as photographs from her from early life and the early days of her career. She has received a Grammy, and was previously nominated for that honor.
Recordings and performance
Lewis, accompanied by Tom Rozum, has appeared at the Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
and several times with Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
on A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
. She is also the program director for a Music Camp on the Oregon Coast called Bluegrass at the Beach which she has done with Tom Rozum
Tom Rozum
Tom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
since 1992.
Lewis's songs have been recorded by others, including Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
, and she has accompanied Holly Near
Holly Near
Holly Near is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist for social change.-Early years:...
. She has been invited to accompany many other artists, including the late Kato Sanden, a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
pop star, and the legendary (but still active) Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
. Besides producing her own CDs, Lewis's skill in the recording studio has resulted in her being asked to produce recordings for a number of other artists. She is also in demand as a teacher on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
Lewis has toured widely in many parts of the world, including most Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. When not on tour, she makes her home in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
Style and sound
Personnel
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands comprises:- Laurie Lewis: Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
- Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
: Mandolin, Vocals - Scott Huffman: Guitar, Vocals
- Craig Smith: Banjo
- Todd Phillips: Bass
Distinctions and awards
- Laurie Lewis twice won California's Women's Fiddling championships.
- She won a Grammy for True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe 1997.
- She was nominated with Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
for a Grammy for their collection of duets, The Oak and the Laurel, in the category of Best Traditional Folk Album of 1995. - Twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music AssociationInternational Bluegrass Music AssociationThe International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International Bluegrass Music Museum as a joint venture with...
).
Discography
- Grant Street String Band (1983)
- Restless Rambling Heart (1986)
- Blue Rose with Blue Rose: Cathy Fink & Marcy MarxerCathy Fink & Marcy MarxerCathy Fink and Marcy Marxer perform together as a folk music duo. They have been musical partners for more than 20 years...
, Molly MasonMolly MasonMolly Mason is an American musician and composer.Mason grew up in Washington state. She plays traditional American fiddle and acoustic bass guitar....
, and Sally Van Meter (1989) - Love Chooses You (1989)
- Singin' My Troubles Away with Grant Street Band (1991) Flying Fish RecordsFlying Fish RecordsFlying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society....
— ASIN: B000000MOQ - True Stories (1993) Rounder / Umgd — ASIN: B0000002L5
- Together with Kathy Kallick (1995) Rounder Select — ASIN: B0000002M1
- The Oak and the Laurel with Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
(1995) Rounder / Umgd — ASIN: B0000002N6 - Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis (1997) Rounder / Umgd — ASIN: B0000002PL
- Seeing Things (1998)
- Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals (1999) Rounder / Umgd — ASIN: B00000IP88
- Winter's Grace with Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
(2003) - Birdsong
- Guest House with Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
(2004) Hightone RecordsHighTone RecordsHighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983...
— ASIN: B0001LJCQ6 - The Golden West with The Right Hands (2006) Hightone RecordsHighTone RecordsHighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983...
— ASIN: B000H5V8T0 - Live - with The Right Hands (2008) Spruce & Maple
- Blossoms (2010) Spruce & Maple
See also
- Tim O'Brien (musician)Tim O'Brien (musician)Tim O'Brien is an American country and bluegrass musician. In addition to singing, he plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and mandocello...
- Bluegrass musicBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
- American folk musicAmerican folk musicAmerican folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
- ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
- Grammy Awards
- Tom RozumTom RozumTom Rozum is a Northern California-based American bluegrass mandolinist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis.-Music career:...
- Hightone RecordsHighTone RecordsHighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983...
External links
- Official Website Laurie Lewis
- MySpace page Laurie Lewis
- Bluegrass at the Beach
- Video: 9/06 Interview on myfoxla.com.