Little Roy Lewis: An Icon of Bluegrass Culture

[Ted Lehmann]

While Little Roy Lewis doesn't, to my knowledge, play the mandolin, he's one of the greats on several other instruments and an iconic clown with roots leading back to pre-bluegrass. I've tried to capture his manic spirit and his humanity in my column this week in No Depression. Please enjoy it, and let me know what you think. - Ted

http://nodepression.com/article/litt...egrass-culture

[MikeEdgerton]

Little Roy's posture has suffered due to the instrument his parents had him playing at a very young age. He is entertaining though a great musician.

[CarlM]

I feel a need to go play the Bells of St. Mary's.

[Willie Poole]

At one time I had an instrumental recording where Little Roy played all of the instruments on it and they were dubbed in I guess, anyway there was a mandolin break in the song I`m pretty sure...

Only way to describe Little Roy is that "He is a nut", as Mike said he is a great entertainer though...I don`t think the Lewis Family would have been very popular without Little Roy, I have seen him perform many times doing pretty much the same routine and it is still funny....I love his "Honey In The Rock" routine...Who needs a trombone?

Willie

[Mandoplumb]

Little Roy is first and formost an entertainer. My Dad also a bango player had developed a friendship with little Roy and there was a festival near us that for several years the Lewis Family was the "pro" gospel band on Sunday. Our band also played there every year. After the Lewis Family played we would sometimes jam with Roy. If we played after them Roy would come on stage and pick a couple with us. What always impressed me was you could see him go into "entertainer" mode as he came of stage to goofboff with a local band. There was a seriousness to his playing and yes his cutting up that you didn't note jamming with him. Willie I've seen him play a mandolin, but I wouldn't consider him a mandolin player, he played it as a little guitar even down to finger picks.