James Lewis
Born in St. Louis, MO, but raised in the sunny west coast city of San Diego, California, Jim Lewis was always surrounded by music. Both of his parents were closet musicians. His mother sang light opera and his father played the drums. The radio was always on and the record player was used to introduce Jim to the classics. Jim's father told him about the composers and acted out he stories that were behind the musical pieces. His introduction to music was experiential experienced in a hands on way. Musical expression in the Lewis household was something that had importance and was encouraged.
At the age of 7, Jim began teaching himself to play the piano and after a neighbor heard his efforts his parents were encouraged to get him formal lessons. He continued along with his lessons until the age of 9 where he was introduced to musical theory along with the usual "teaching little fingers to play" repertoire.
At 11 years, the San Diego school district identified Jim as being gifted in music tonality. He was ranked #1 in the city with the ability to describe the relationships between the elements of melody and harmony. This would in later life prove to be the starting point for fueling his passion on learning everything he could about the hierarchy that exists in musical theory.
Also at this time Gary Puckett move into his neighborhood, next door to one of his best friends. All the kids sat in Gary's garage and watched the band rehearse his first album which they were going to record and which is a classic and still great. Gary had a degree in music. He was playing organ, some guitar, he new all the parts, and his voice. A first look at producing and being organized. Down the street the Brain Police were playing at as loud as a couple of Vox Beatle amp's and drums would go. The kids across the streets dad practiced jazz trumpet all weekend. Music seemed to be everywhere.
At age 14 Jim received his first electric guitar from his supportive and tolerant parents. He was quick to abuse it à la Pete Townsend & Jimi Hendrix and he was in need of a new one by the following Christmas.
Even though money was tight, Jim's father bought him his first "real" guitar, a Vox Mark VI Teardrop. He realized that the gift meant that his dad believed in what he was doing and it helped to center and focus him into getting more serious about his guitar playing.
Suddenly, Jim was hunting out and picking apart every album that he owned. He figured out that the lowest note of "How Many More Times" by Led Zepplin was an E. He used that as his tuner. He went to every concert there was. "I've pretty much seen every major band a couple of times, except the Beatles". He began seeking out anyone who would play with him. Flute players, sax players, singers, bass players, it didn't matter. He just wanted to play.
One of Jim's biggest influences was Randy Flores (brother of Rosie Flores of CMT fame), who could play note for note just like Jimmy Page (they were still in High School). There was a pocket of kids who could really play. This impressed Jim and motivated him to really push the boundaries of his own guitar playing. Jim was introduced to a drummer who knew all kinds of players. This led to the introduction to the person that would show him how to teach and resulted in the formation of his first band, Thunderbolt the Wondercolt.
After high school Jim enrolled in college and took every music theory class that was offered. Jim feel's lucky he was in college when experimental teaching was going on. The staff was an incredible line up of gifted talent all, with there own fortes and backgrounds, and new ways of learning were introduced, using typical college texts based in classical music. His first guitar teacher was Robert Torres who was a student of Segovia. He new and taught the concepts Segovia had taught him. "I learned some basic things no other teacher has ever even mentioned". His teacher taught him properly and gave him a lot of his current technique.
From 1973-1978 Jim played with his country/rock genre band, Thunderbolt the Wondercolt. If you lived in San Diego during those years and you went out to clubs you would have saw them at some point. The band had the harmonies of Crosby Stills and Nash and was combined with three Vegas costume changes. The band was a lively and somewhat humorous rock show mixed with oldies and country music. A cappella and doo-wop are Jim's roots and rock and country are his branches with classical and jazz as his trunk and foundation.
Wanting to expand his guitar playing, Jim began taking jazz guitar from Bill Coleman an amazing guitar player who taught him the basics of jazz guitar. After getting his foundation in jazz, he began studying with internationally known jazz guitarist and producer Peter Sprague. Jim would comp and record him soloing over jazz standards and go home and transcribe them. He began transcribing everything he could. Bill set Jim up with CC Jones the critically acclaimed variety show at Fitzgerald's club in Reno Nevada. Dick Van Dyke was playing in the Music Man across the street.
Jim eventually went to The Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles. Along with the core curriculum, he spent most of his time with Joe Diorio and Scott Henderson. "I felt like a well trained gladiator". They contribute to right brain reacting and left brain devices by things they said sometimes not related to guitar. What's really going through there minds when there playing kind of stuff. He joined a popular funk fusion band after graduation where he really got the opportunity to refine his skills for a couple of years playing San Diego's Gaslamp and shelter island circuit.
In 1992 Jim made the move to Boise to raise his 3 children. After his arrival in Boise, Jim attended a Taylor Guitar concert where he saw Steven King, the National Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, at a store and was floored by his finger style technique. He bought a few of his CD's and transcribed them. Jim emailed the transcriptions to Steven who in turn asked him to transcribe his latest video for him. Jim willingly did this and for the last 17 years he has been transcribing professionally and teaching guitar ever since.
With his ever-present sense of humor, Jim Lewis is a unique and versatile music educator with a diversity of musical skill sets and knowledge to draw upon. Jim is an acoustic and electric guitar player, music educator, performer, composer, singer-songwriter, with over 35 years of professional experience. Jim teaches both children and adults, from beginners to advanced students. Whether his students want to study music as a hobby or for a professional career, Jim always provides the guidance, support and encouragement that you need to reach your guitar playing goals. |
