The Lewis Family is a family of

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

ians from Lincolnton,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. They are known as the "First Family of Bluegrass Gospel".

Background

The family was founded by Pop and Mom Lewis (Roy Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis, née Holloway), who married in 1925. In 1951 they chose the name The Lewis Family when singing at a Woodmen of the World meeting. Later that year, they did their first recording sessions, released on Sullivan Records.

Career

In 1954, they were offered a slot performing weekly on a television show in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, where they would appear until 1992. They began recording for

Starday Records Starday Records was an American record label producing traditional country music during the 1950s and 1960s. History The label began in 1952 in Beaumont, Texas, when local businessmen Jack Starnes (Lefty Frizzell's manager) and Houston record di ...

in 1957 and continued recording prolifically for

Canaan CanaanThe current scholarly edition of the Septuagint, Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interprets. 2. ed. / recogn. et emendavit Robert Hanhart. Stuttgart : D ...

, Riversong, Daywind, and others; they have released nearly 60 albums. The Lewis Family started touring regularly in the 1960s, continuing into the 2000s; several generations of family members have entered the group as time passed. They also held an annual festival in their hometown, the Lewis Family Homecoming & Bluegrass Festival. The Lewis Family joined producers

Randall Franks Randall Franks is an American entertainer recognized for his multifaceted career in the arts. He is known for his roles as a film and television actor, author, and as a Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer and musician. Franks is proficient in playi ...

and

Alan Autry Carlos Alan Autry Jr. (also known for a time as Carlos Brown; born July 31, 1952) is an American actor, politician, and former football player. During his brief career in the National Football League, he played as a quarterback and was known as ...

for the

In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) In the Heat of the Night may refer to: * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (novel), a 1965 novel by John Ball * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (film), a 1967 film based on the novel * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (TV series), a 1988–1995 television s ...

cast CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers. Group members Travis Lewis and Lewis Phillips also assisted the cast with the song "Jingle Bells." Franks, also a bluegrass fiddler, made numerous appearances through the years with the family in concert. Due to the declining health of several members, the Lewis Family announced its retirement in May 2009; they performed their final regular concert on September 5, 2009, in Dover, Pennsylvania. On November 7, 2009, the family returned home to Lincolnton to perform a farewell concert. The Lewis Family's original home, built by Pop, is currently being restored by Jeff and Sheri Easter. Sheri is the daughter of Polly Lewis Copsey. In 2011 The Lewis Family played and sang at A Dukes Of Hazzard Festival in Sperryville VA.

Recognition

The group was inducted into the

Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Mill ...

in 1992 and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 2006. They have also won a number of

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis Family, The American bluegrass music groups Family musical groups Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Lincolnton, Georgia Southern gospel performers Starday Records artists