showtime
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By phil reser
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photos courtesy of Laurie lewis
b l u e g rass ar t is t l auri e l e wis In March of 1994, Laurie Lewis was driving on an Arizona highway, toward the end of a music tour. Tired from the trip, she lost control, sending the vehicle off the highway, flipping over several times before landing on the embankment. Her bluegrass partner, mandolin player and vocalist, Tom Rozum, fractured his shoulder blade and one wrist, dislocated his hip, and nearly severed ligaments in his legs. Lewis fractured her skull and two vertebrae. She was able to perform within a month, but couldn’t stand up to play the fiddle. She sat in a chair onstage and played the guitar during her rehabilitation. Rozum played his first gig three months after the accident, but could not walk normally until after a second surgery, two years later. That highway misfortune, Lewis says, “changed our music by us creating material that related to that dramatic moment,” referring to
her song “Kiss Me Before I Die” and Rozum’s adaptation of Irving Berlin’s “Without My Walking Stick”. “But even more, now, I really know that every time I sing a song, there’s no telling if it’s going to be the last time. So my focus and concentration is somehow purer in my head.” Born in Berkeley, Lewis became intrigued by bluegrass in the early ‘70s, when the music was still largely dominated by men. Her skills as musician, songwriter and performer helped open the door for a generation of women. She began playing piano as a child before switching to classical violin. It was only after attending the Berkeley Folk Festival as a teen that Lewis turned her attention to traditional American music. “The music that really spoke to me was the rural, more backwoods music,” says Lewis. “I heard Doc Watson and I just loved his thing. Jean Ritchie, I couldn’t get over her songs, the power of them. I was just drawn to do traditional music.”4 continued on page 52 MARCH 2014 ENJOY | 51