Daily Inspiration: Meet Andy Leftwich

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Leftwich

Hi Andy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My dad loved bluegrass music and played the guitar and banjo. He bought a little cheap fiddle from a pawn shop and brought it home to me when I was 6 years old. He taught me a very simple song and within just a few minutes, we were playing music together. I absolutely loved it and we ended up playing that little tune for hours that night! I never remember a day since that I didn’t play the fiddle. I loved it and it came natural to me.

When I was 7, I entered my first fiddle contest in Smithfield, Tn. I came in last! I was so upset. Instead of consoling me and trying to make me feel better, my dad told me that I’m not practicing enough and I need to work harder if I’m going to win. I took that to heart and as I look back on that, I’m thankful my dad was hard on me. The next summer, I won my first contest at the Tennessee State Championship in Clarksville, Tn. It only fueled the fire for me and I couldn’t wait to get home from school and learn new tunes and arrangements to compete with the next weekend at another contest.

Looking back, contest are great for kids growing up learning their instrument because it pushes them to get better and gives you a goal to shoot for. However, music is not a contest and I wanted to play professionally. When I was 15 years old, a wonderful lady named Valerie Smith was just starting her career in bluegrass music hired me to play fiddle in her new band. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to play in a traveling band and getting paid for it! I learned a lot in that time but was facing a decision on whether or not to take the risk and continue to pursue music professionally or go to college for something different. Music was the only thing I was good at and had a passion for and wasn’t sure what I would do other than that.

When I was 19 years old, I met Ricky Skaggs through a mutual friend. I jokingly asked, “Ricky isn’t look for a new fiddler’ is he?” His response shocked me after he said, “Yes, and you would be perfect for the job.” A few weeks later I was asked to fill in at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, KY with Ricky and the band. It was an opportunity of a lifetime! To my amazement, at the end of the show just before the encore, Ricky asks me in front on the crowd, “Andy, what are you doing for the next couple of years?” I couldn’t believe it! He offered me the job on stage in front of everyone! I was very shocked and later asked him if he was sure he wanted me to join the band. He said, “Yes, and I have been praying for you”. It was important to me that whoever I traveled with was someone that shared the same faith that I have in the Lord Jesus. Ricky certainly is a man of Faith and is a brother in Christ and felt that it was an answered prayer both for me and for him. So, from 2001 to 2016 I traveled the world with Ricky, We played in some amazing venues and met some incredible musicians along the way. I attribute my entire career to Ricky and the opportunities that came my way because of his gracious risk he took on a young 19 year old!

In 2016, I began to feel the pull to be on my own. Ricky was a wonderful boss and even better friend but his touring schedule certainly demands commitment and rightly fully so. Unfortunately, it just came to a head for me with some of the other opportunities that were opening up for me, especially in the ministry. Since 2016, my wife, Rachel, and I have been traveling and playing in churches for special meetings and it’s a joy to sing and play music with her. She is a great blessing to me and I love her voice. She ministers to me anytime she sings!

In fall of 2018, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My wife, Rachel, and I had the thought that we could put together a Christmas show somewhere close to home that he could come to so I called my old youth pastor, now the pastor of White House First Baptist Church in White House, TN, Ashley Mofield. He was gracious enough to allow us to put together a Christmas concert with some of my closet musician friends. Unfortunately, dad passed away that November before we were able to play the concert. We decided to to do it anyway and it was a huge hit! Since then, we have been touring our Christmas show every December! It has grown and we are now doing anywhere to 10-14 shows every December. It’s a great blessing to me to travel with my wife and play these shows during the holiday season.

In 2021, I joined up with Mountain Home Records in Arden, NC and have been releasing my own music as a solo artist and playing my own shows with some of the best musicians on the planet! It has been an incredibly journey so far and I’m very much looking forward to the future!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a musician is not easy. Folks don’t take in consideration the feelings, the emotions, the insecurities, that every musician and singer has. Even at the most elite level, there are insecurities. When you stand on a platform to perform, you are becoming very vulnerable to every fiery dart the devil will throw at you. You have to have tough skin and a resilience toward criticism that you hear. And it always comes when you least expect it! Most folks will enjoy what you do but it’s always that one comment or one person that says something dumb that sticks with you. You have to be able to overcome that and continue on. I think this is one of the biggest challenges for any musician.

There has certainly been ups and downs but I can say with full confidence, that the Lord has been better to me than I deserve. I praise Him for all of the opportunities that he has sent my way and for the grace that he gives in the times that aren’t so good. I’d say the biggest challenge for me personally is patience and the not knowing what’s ahead. It forces you to trust the Lord and it’s hard not to get ahead of him. You always feel the pressure to stay current and it’s hard to wait on the Lord sometimes but when you allow Him to do his perfect work, it’s so much better!

I’ve been very blessed with a wife that understands the musicians life and the traveling. She is a great help to me and it allows me to follow my heart in music. Not everyone has that and I praise the Lord for her. However, it’s been a constant struggle to have any normalcy in your life as far as scheduling. There are times when we are home for weeks and times when we are gone for weeks. I hate missing things back home but that’s just part of the sacrifice you make.

There are many challenges along the way. Logistical, physical, spiritial, and even mental challenges but when they are met with a clear purpose and belief in what you are doing, it pales in comparison and keeps you going. It’s when we loose our purpose or direction is when you begin to get burned out. I try my best to always have a plan looking forward and seeking God for his will. I don’t always connect with that but I’m thankful that if I make a mistake, it will be in the way of faith and not fear. I don’t want to miss out on anything because I might have fear. It’s impossible to please God without faith and I know as long as I’m trusting Him and not myself, those challenges become very doable.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I still do a lot of traveling and performing with various artists and bands, and occasionally get to do my own shows, but what keeps my busy when I am home is recording as a session player. Nashville, Tn is home to the greatest musicians on the planet and I’m honored to get to record with them! I also have a small recording studio in my house where I can record my parts remotely, That’s been a great blessing because I can stay home and work. When Covid hit in 2020, no one was recording in Nashville and a lot of producers and artist really leaned on remote recordings from other musicians and so thankfully that kept me busy during that time.

I mostly get called to play fiddle on projects but occasionally will be asked to play mandolin or guitar as well. I always enjoy getting to play on various projects and always count it an honor anytime I’m asked.

I’m proud of the time I spent playing music with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for 15 years and the music I have been able to make with the musicians I have met along the way. Since joining Ricky’s band in 2001, I’ve had the opportunity to release several solo projects and honored to have won 4 Grammy Awards, 5 International Bluegrass Music Awards, and was given a Dove award by Steven Curtis Chapman for the fiddle and mandolin work I did for him on his project, “Deep Roots. Where the Bluegrass Grows”. I certainly don’t play music or strive for awards, but they are a token of accomplishment that I’m proud of. However, when someone shares with you how your music has affected them in a positive way, that encourages me more than anything.

I’m not sure what sets me apart from others but I always want to strive for excellence in everything I do. I never want to give anyone less than my best and will always do what I can to make the music better. You really have to have a willing spirit and leave your ego at the door in any situation you find yourself. The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians to esteem others above yourself and I have always tried to take that approach to music. Growing up, I always wanted to be around the musicians that were better than me or knew something different because it inspired me. My hope is that I improve the music I’m playing and lift the other musicians around me and hopefully inspire them as well.

What were you like growing up?
I was a typical American boy growing up. I loved being outside and playing hard and couldn’t be still for a minute! I was always very competitive. I had to win at everything I did….haha! I’ve always loved the spirit of competition because it inspires you to get bettter and loved the feeling of winning at something. I played a lot of sports including baseball, football, tennis, and now play a lot of golf. My childhood consisted of baseball Feilds during the week and fiddle contest on the weekends. I loved both sports and music but ultimately, music was what I was best at and I’m thankful I followed that. My mom and dad worked hard and did all they could for me and my sister. I’m thankful for the parents and grandparents I had and the example my grandfather was to me. He instilled in me the importance of character, being honest, working hard and doing your best and my grandmother instilled in me a love for Jesus that I’m so thankful for. I miss them greatly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://andyleftwich.com
• Instagram: @andyleftwich
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andyleftwichofficial?mibextid=LQQJ4d