Conversations with Merna Lewis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Merna Lewis. 

Hi Merna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I am a Colorado native with a rich musical heritage, following in the footsteps of my Grandmother Marie Bond Riggenbach, a violin virtuoso; The Juilliard School of Music graduate and teacher of violins at the Brearley School for Girls in New York City, and founder of Riggenbach School of Music in Alamosa, CO, and my late Aunt Bettie Freel. I began taking fiddle lessons at the age of 7 from my aunt Bettie Freel, a well-known musician, and music teacher in the San Luis Valley. She taught me traditional fiddle and bluegrass tunes and a little bit of classical technique. When I was 14, she started teaching me the fiddle parts for the songs she was playing in her country bands, and I was invited to sit in from time to time. When she passed away from cancer, I was 17, I stepped into her shoes and continued the legacy. By that time, I had already had the bug to be a big fiddle star. After I graduated from high school in 2000, I attended South Plains College in Levelland, TX to further my education and received an Associate of Applied Arts Degree in Commercial Music, where I focused on country, bluegrass, western swing, and jazz genres. I played with several local bands throughout Texas and Oklahoma through college and after. In 2002, I moved to Fort Worth where I was hired to play with Dave Alexander (and his Legends of Western Swing Band), Dan Roberts (singer, songwriter), and others. In 2003, I moved to Nashville to further pursue my music career and was hired immediately by several bands on the lower Broadway honkytonk strip. I also toured with Tanya Tucker, Trent Willmon, Billy Arnold, The Roys, Chelsea Lena, and several others. I toured with Wild Gypsy with the USO and AAFES to play for the US troops serving in many countries. You can also find my fiddle and vocals on several independent label artists and groups EPs and recordings. Recently, I’ve recorded with Sarah Lawton, Frank Foster, Jim Brown, Sarah Martin, Jeff Dayton, Bob Huston, Scott Wesley Ross, Braden Baugh, Matt Bowlin, Robin James, Evans Barnes, Bear Lamb, and many others. I am currently booked playing music in some fashion 5 to 6 days a week, and I love it! 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The music business can be a good way to find out who you are and what you’re made of. I’ve had many gigs that I absolutely hated for one reason or another, and jobs that I wish could come around again. I’ve been voted out of bands for reasons I still don’t know about! I’ve had to fire people from bands. The road life can be glamorous, and it can be hell! Food poisoning on the road is not fun at all. There have been times where I’ve wondered if I’m doing the right thing or if I could be doing more. Sometimes, I’ve had to step back and take a break because I just got burned out from driving from here to there, meeting this person or that, learning songs just to find out the job was canceled, getting in the middle of a huge fistfight on the bar floor while passing the tip jar for the band to make money, having people spill alcohol on me, sometimes on purpose, yelling at me for no reason at all, fighting with a friend over a job, fighting with my husband because we disagree on a decision one of us made, learning to trust each other (my husband), because he was a musician on the road too; wondering if I’m ever going to make it; yeah, it’s a mental, physical, emotional challenge to be a musician. But there’s really good things too! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have had the pleasure of being a full-time musician since the age of 20, and truly before that, I pretty much knew what I wanted to “be when I grew up” at the age of 14. I play fiddle and sing, but I’m also classically trained on violin, so I read music, and I learn by ear. I play barefoot, most of the time. That came from a show I was playing in Amarillo, TX with the band Copperhead Road back in 2001 or 2002! I was wearing these really cute, but very uncomfortable shoes, so I kicked them off in the middle of the set. Someone in the audience found a cardboard box and a sharpie and wrote a note that said, “You have pretty feet!” – and from there on, I became The Barefoot Fiddler. A lot of people know me as that, and as Merna Lewis, so I guess it stuck! 

I have many proud accomplishments, so many I know I don’t remember all of them, and have been trying to compile a list. Once in a while, my mom and I will be reminiscing about something, and she’ll remind me of a show I played, such as a show for “LadyBird” Johnson with the Texas! Express band in Austin, TX; or the feature in Fiddler Magazine that my professor, the late Joe Carr, wrote in tribute to my family music legacy; to playing on national TV for the Emeril Live show with Trent Willmon; and the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Halftime Show with the orchestra backing Leann Rimes. 

I’m thankful that many people have trusted me with playing fiddle/violin on their music projects, and still do. Just today, I recorded music for a song telling the Easter story! I’ve also been invited to be in artists music videos, and featured in a couple other print articles and radio interviews! 

One of my dream jobs is to be able to be a well known, sought after fiddle/utility player playing for a big-name artist. When I saw Garth Brooks’ New York City Central Park concert on TV when I was in high school, that became my dream gig. I saw Jimmy Mattingly, Garth’s fiddler (and a super supportive, humble person!), was running all over the stage while playing and looked like he was having the time of his life. That’s what I wanted to do! So, yeah, Garth would be fine to play for, if the opportunity ever arises! That would just be a dream gig! I’d love to play all the huge stadiums, TV shows, amphitheatres, the Ryman, the Opry… all the places! I’m working really hard on getting onto the next rung of the ladder of success, whatever that turns out to be. Though, I’m not forgetting to appreciate where I am and who I get to work with today. I surround myself every day with amazing musicians and artists and am thankful that I get to do this for a living! Another dream is to make my Grandmother and Aunt’s legacy live on – I’m working on reviving a classical piece that my Grandmother composed while at Juilliard. No one in my family that I know of has heard the whole piece; it was written for the well acclaimed and unique family of the Hutchins Violin Octet, so it can’t be played by just any symphony. This is a very exciting project! Thank you for letting me tell a little bit of my story. I’m excited for the next chapter!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I truly don’t believe luck has had anything, good or bad, to do with where I am. It’s a culmination of a life of dedicated hard work, lots of practice, and a ton of getting to know people in many circles. I’m not afraid to walk up to a stranger and say hello, especially if they have a fiddle/violin in their hand! I know that a lot of what this business of music is, is networking. Sometimes, I’ve been told, that is more important than your talent. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.thebarefootfiddler.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarefootfiddler
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebarefootfiddler
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-3716337

Image Credits
Mandy Shucher
Charity Backs