Lewis was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana. His daddy played the fiddle and two of his older brothers played guitar. Around the age of 12, Lewis learned to play guitar from his brothers and began accompanying his daddy. His daddy had become good friends with legendary Texas fiddle players Major and Louis Franklin, Benny Thomasson, Norman and Vernon Solomon, Dale and Terry Morris, and Dick Barrett. Lewis was very fortunate because his daddy would take him and his brothers to contests and jam sessions in Texas where he got to hear and see these great fiddle players. Lewis remembers many times that fiddlers like Benny, Dick, Dale and Terry would come to their home in Louisiana. As a teenager, Lewis tried to learn to play the fiddle but his daddy kept encouraging him to play guitar. After graduating high school and moving away from home, Lewis saw Dale Morris at a contest in Gilmer, Texas. Lewis told Dale that he wanted to learn to play the fiddle and Dale gave him a copy of his new fiddle instruction book “Anyone Can Learn Texas Fiddling”. Lewis took the material home and began learning to play the fiddle. Finally around 1994, Lewis was able to move to Texas and he began to take lessons from Jimmie Don Bates. His fiddle playing quickly improved and he began to enter and judge fiddle contests throughout Texas. Lewis admits that he is by no means a great fiddle player but he can distinguish a good player from a not so good player when he hears one. When judging a fiddler, Lewis says that he focuses on the fiddler’s ability to improvise and stay within the melody of the tune. He also focuses on the drive and temp as well as being able to play in tune. Lewis says that he is honored that he was asked to judge the Grove contest and is looking forward to judging and spending the weekend with his fiddle friends.