The Bluestone Review 2020

The Bluestone Review 2020

Interview with Vince Lewis

A Feature with Vince Lewis Interviewed by Hayley A. Moore

Not many people are aware of all of the art and music that Bluefield holds. Jazz guitarist and professor at Bluefield College, Vince Lewis, however, was able to see the beauty of Bluefield rather quickly upon moving to the area. He has come to love the area and his students and even goes so far as to say, “I love [Bluefield College], and anything I can personally do is great by me.” He even went so far as to offer up his own time and talent to the publication reception for this edition of the Bluestone Review! I got to sit down with Mr. Vince Lewis, professional guitarist and professor, and learn some of the things that brought him to music and to Bluefield. Here is what he had to say. “My greatest joy is seeing students love and enjoy the guitar as much as I do, regardless of what level they attain.” This was part of the response when I asked Mr. Lewis how long he has been teaching and playing guitar. He definitely cares about his students and nurturing them and their love of music, rather than pushing them to be perfect when they wish to learn for fun. This is a quality that more music teachers need to adopt. So long as the student is having fun and enjoying what they are studying, music is music! Who needs to be perfect? Mr. Lewis also said that he started guitar lessons at the young age of 5 years old. Even more, though, he started teaching in a music store in Charleston, WV at only 14! This shows that Mr. Lewis had lots of experience playing and teaching guitar by the time he started teaching at the university level in 1973. He is still teaching at the university level today, to the great appreciation of his students and the Bluefield College music department. This love and care for both music and the individual always show through his performances and the perfor- mances of his students and jazz band. I also asked Mr. Lewis about some of his musical influences and some of his favorite performers to perform with. He noted that he has very many musical influences, and he has also had the opportunity to play with a number of big jazz artists, including a couple of his childhood influences. Some of his biggest musical influences are guitarists Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, and Mundell Lowe. What a group! He grew up listening to these artists and said that he even got to meet and work with both Herb and Mundell later in his career. “They were a thrill to be around, both musically and personally.” Some of Mr. Lewis’s favorite guitar performances were actually with a num- ber of major acts. Some of these acts were Bob Hope and Don Rickles. Howev- er, these types of acts were not the only ones that Mr. Lewis had the opportunity to play. He also played guitar with the Cab Calloway Orchestra and Les Elgart Orchestra. He even was an opening act for B.B. King, Dave Brubeck, Lou Raw- ls, and many other major stars. He also co-headlines jazz festivals with a few of them! One of the most difficult questions that I asked Mr. Lewis was what his favor- ite piece of music to play is. He said, “My favorite piece is difficult to pick, as I love playing tunes from The Great American Songbook, and the composers were all so terrific, and the music so timeless.” He was able to give a few pieces that

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