LAURIE LEWIS

• From Berkeley, California.
• Early 60’s, she heard the Dillards and got hooked on bluegrass.
• She is a two-time winner of the California State Fiddle Championship.
• She owned and operated Marin Violin (a music store) for six years.
• 1974, played bass with The Phantoms of the Opry (with Pat Enright, later of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.)
• 1975, founded The Good Old Persons with Kathy Kallick.
• 1977, worked with Peter Rowan’s Free Mexican Air Force.
• 1980, formed her own band Grant Street.
• 1981, played bass with the Vern Williams Band.
• 1986, released first solo project Restless Rambling Heart album (Flying Fish).
• 1988, recorded Blue Rose album with Cathy Fink, Sally Van Meter, Molly Mason and Marcy Marxer (Sugar Hill).
• 1989, released Love Chooses You album (Flying Fish). The title song (written by Laurie) was subsequently recorded by Kathy Mattea and went to #1 on the country charts.
• 1990, released Singin’ My Troubles Away album (Flying Fish).
• 1992, 1994, won the IBMA award for Female Vocalist of the Year.
• 1992, made first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
• 1993, released True Stories album (Rounder Records).
• 1994, she and mandolinist Tom Rozum were seriously injured in an automobile accident while traveling to a performance in Arizona (they both recovered).
• 1995, released The Oak and the Laurel (Rounder), a duet album with Tom Rozum.
• 1997, rode her bicycle 593 miles to raise $6000 for AIDS research.
• 1997, released Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis album (Rounder).
• 1998, disbanded Grant Street and began working as a trio with Tom Rozum and Todd Phillips. She added Craig Smith (banjo) and Mary Gibbons (guitar) to the trio and performed as Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals.
• 1998, released Seeing Things album (Rounder).
• 1999, released Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals album (Rounder).
• 1999, she and Tom Rozum began hosting an annual river rafting trip down the Rogue River (Oregon).
• 2002, released Birdsong album (Spruce and Maple).
• 2004, released Guest House, a duet album with Tom Rozum (High Tone).
• 2004, released Winter’s Grace, a holiday duet album with Tom Rozum (Dog Boy).
• 2005, released Blossoms album (Spruce and Maple).
• 2006, released The Golden West album (High Tone) with her new band The Right Hands.
• 2008, released Live album (Spruce and Maple).
• 2011, released Skippin’ and Flyin’ album (Spruce and Maple).
• 2013, released One Evening in May album (Spruce and Maple), recorded live at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.
• 2014, released a duet album with Kathy Kallick Laurie and Kathy Sing the Songs of Vern and Ray (Spruce and Maple).
• 2016, released The Hazel and Alice Sessions album (Spruce and Maple) with her band The Right Hands, a tribute to the music of Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard.
• 2020, released …And Laurie Lewis (Spruce and Maple) album, featuring duets with many guest artists.
• 2024, released Trees album (Spruce and Maple).
• 2024, received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the IBMA for her contributions to bluegrass music.