 |
      Check it out!    |
"Tony Lewis continues to enchant his audiences. Very professional, but at the same time always friendly with everyone, be it the press, the technicians, the festival workers or the public. It's he who boosted the temperature and brought the evening's atmosphere to its highest level… A few of his hits, some titles from his latest albums, and then grabbing a Dobro (an instrument that we're not really used to seeing in his hands), he performed a country blues which gave us goose bumps. The good thousand spectators were not mistaken in giving Tony a standing ovation in return for holding them spellbound during the entire length of his show. The variation in textures and rhythms was well chosen, as he made the rounds of the different currents in Country Music. Tony spoiled his audience, which was intent and delighted… and maybe even a little sad that it had to end…"
Claude Rossier, Country News (August '02)
Singer-songwriter TONY LEWIS has earned a reputation as one of the hottest and most sought-after performers, recording artists and songwriters on the European continent. During a 30-year career, he has performed in over 30 countries* on 4 continents, released 5 albums of mainly self-penned songs, headlined festivals before 30,000 screaming fans, shared the stage with many of music's legends* , and along the way taken the time to learn to speak 5 languages fluently!
An inveterate globetrotter, Lewis regularly plays packed venues in Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Norway, Sweden, France, and Spain. This is an artist who makes close contact to his audience, and who understands how to move and entertain his listeners. Whether in the intimate atmosphere of a club or from the biggest festival stages, Tony's energetic, professional, and varied performances showcase his eclectic mix of styles, and leave no doubt that he is a unique talent. He has celebrated triumph after triumph at numerous international festivals, like for example twice as the main act at the mammoth Mirande American Music Festival in southern France, where in 1998 an electrifying performance before 30,000 fans brought the stadium to the boiling point, and Tony back for 3 encores!
A Californian native, Tony Lewis was surrounded since birth by Rhythm & Blues, Country & Western, Swing, Soul, and naturally Rock & Roll - styles that would later blend into his own particular brand of American music. He found his passion when at age eleven he bought his first guitar, and settled down to teach himself to play. Later he began to concentrate more on singing and writing, and in spite of playing a credible guitar, piano, mandolin and harmonica, today considers himself a vocalist and composer.
Tony showed a rebel streak early, when at the age of fifteen he left home to try his fortunes in Hawaii. In 1975 his travels brought him to Europe where fate and luck pushed him into a musical career. While backpacking through Italy he was robbed, and found himself left on the side of the road with no more than the proverbial shirt on his back. He made his way across the border, borrowed a friend's guitar, and after an impromptu audition in a hotel kitchen, got his first professional engagement in the alpine ski resort of Zermatt, Switzerland.
Since then, Lewis has performed in over thirty countries* around the globe with extensive tours through Europe, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, as well as a year-long stint in Latin America on tour as a "Cultural Ambassador" for the U.S. Government. From first-class night-clubs in Hawaii to colonial concert halls in dusty provincial Argentine backwaters, from rustic ski resorts in New Zealand to the top recording studios of Paris, Lewis has gathered experience, paid his dues, and demonstrated his talent on the most diverse stages around the world.
photo: Reto Heiz
From 1991 to 2002 Lewis called Switzerland his home. In 1993 he released his debut album "Wanted Man". Tony's '95 recording "Another Country ", recorded in Nashville and produced by none other than Mike Chapman (Garth Brooks), again testified to his talent as singer/songwriter. Lewis returned to Nashville in '98 to produce his landmark album, "Dancin' On The Edge", again working with the Country Mecca's cream. In these songs, his early influences of Rock, R & B, Pop and even Jazz sit firmly on a Country base. In '99 "Portrait", an anthology album including unreleased material appeared.
Tony's latest release "Naked", is an intimate and intense solo acoustic work, well outside the box. It's the result of a 2 month stay in a primitive cabin out on the northern New Mexican desert. As one reviewer put it, "This album doesn't rely on arrangements and production for its power, but on songs and soul"
Tony Lewis
|
 |
