Ashley Lewis

Description

Receiving worldwide recognition for her music, Ashley Lewis and her band, Legacy, enthrall audiences across the country with fiery instrumentation and impassioned vocals. Known for her sparkling vocals and captivating mandolin performances, Ashley is also a profound songwriter, and evidence of her Kentucky bluegrass legacy appears in the words and music of her original songs. While her roots are in bluegrass, Ashley branches out to deliver an energetic and riveting performance with an innovative approach to all facets and genres of music while providing fresh definition to the traditional tunes. By blending a variety of mandolin styles and her own rhythmic technique, Ashley has developed that unique and distinctive Ashley Lewis signature sound.

Whether at home in the USA or abroad, her impressive band lineup includes 8-Time Illinois State Banjo Champion, Doug Knecht, Guitar player extraordinaire, Jon Mollenhauer, and powerhouse Bassist, Teresa Fry. The combined effects of pure vocals, smooth harmonies and acoustic instruments consisting of mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, dobro, and upright bass blend to create that inspiring newgrass sound. They give an unforgettable performances with an honest and genuine quality that leaves audiences spellbound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUpxRF2niOU&list=PL1WQpzyZxI-H5I9IiriEZE4rgcpftqdhO&index=1

https://www.ashleylewis.net

Work Sample

This sample features live performance clips and audio of the 2014 release of Ashley's third album, Captivated. Ashley topped the charts at #1 with her original song, “Rivers Rising,” and also, broke the all-time Bluegrass record by charting ten songs on the Bluegrass Radio National Singles Chart Top 20 List. Co-produced with Jimmy Mattingly, renown fiddler of Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, and Reba, Jimmy says, “This album is a great example of an unbelievable talent which is portrayed on this project through Ashley’s profound songwriting, musicianship, and passionate vocal style.”

Seven-time award recipient of the Illinois Arts Council for mandolin, Ashley has been performing since six years old, and has been recognized in the past by the Illinois Arts Council as an accomplished and accredited Illinois ArtsTour Musician who is preserving the heritage and art of Bluegrass music. Ashley graduated from Waubonsee College with a Music Performance degree and Presidential Honors. She was honored with the “Waubonsee Fab 40” award for her Musical Contribution to Society. in 2018, Waubonsee College presented Ashley with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Touring throughout the states and Canada, Ashley has appeared on the Emmy Award winning program, Arts Across Illinois, and Song of the Mountains.

"Rhiannon" October, 2021 - Ashley kept her music alive during the Covid-19 lockdown by self producing a series of singles collectively known as "The Quarantine Covers" including a Bluegrass version of Jon Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" and Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon". Rhiannon charted in the Bluegrass Today National Singles chart Top 20 in November 2021.

"All The Pretty Little Horses" July 2018 - Ashley recorded and released the classic lullaby to support Domestic Violence Awareness and has volunteered her music and empowering motivational speeches to various fundraising events such as Walk for Hope with organizations such as Mutual Ground in Aurora, IL.

I hope the three work samples I provided will offer insight into the way I have taken to heart the preservation of traditional bluegrass mandolin music while also combining various musical influences and styles to form my own original compositions and hopefully leave a one of a kind footprint on the arts and the community.

History

I began performing at a young age, and quickly became engrossed in the history and ability of Bluegrass music to touch so many lives and transcend generations.  I feel so fortunate to have had many years growing up as an apprentice to a master mandolin player in the Chicagoland area and lessons were made possible by the grants we received from the Illinois Arts Council Master Apprentice program. Since then, I have been able to expand the art of Bluegrass mandolin through teaching, both privately and in group workshops, performances, and a program names, "Notes Through Time" that I perform at libraries, colleges, and other events that shares the heritage of the history of the mandolin and how it evolved from a lute to what we can now hear integrated into modern rock jazz, bluegrass and country music. I also enjoy volunteering a musical journey with special needs children, a program I created called "Notes of Nature" that integrates sound, vibrations, rhythm, and percussion and how it relates to the natural world around us.  I have released three albums, several singles, music videos, and am currently working on my fourth studio album.

Artistic Vision

My goal is to touch and transcend lives through my music, to inspire, and evoke a passion for Bluegrass mandolin music through entertainment, education, and powerful performances. 

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

My experience has mostly been through teaching, volunteering with special needs camps, conducting workshops, and connecting one on one with the audience members after shows, listening and sharing their stories. 

Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement

Born and raised in Illinois, I grew up with the tales of my family's heritage from the hills of Kentucky before they migrated here.  Bluegrass is in my blood, and I feel a deep calling to share these songs, stories, and traditions with the community.  The hymns my mother sang to me as a child were the ones she heard her grandmother sing on the front porch of that farmhouse on the banks of the Rolling Fork River in LaRue County, KY, and I feel it is a gift and privilege to share these now with my audiences.