Biography

Zane Lewis — "Fuel-injected country"

Zane Lewis may have taken the long way “around the barn” to reach this point in his music career, but one listen to his sophomore release, ZANE LEWIS, leaves no doubt that this boy is exactly where he’s meant to be. A sixth-generation Texan, Lewis was born in the West Texas town of Lubbock and raised just north of Austin in the town of Round Rock. From Buddy Holly to Waylon Jennings and Ronnie Dunn, the region has given us some of Texas’ most influential artists. With a pure country voice as big as the Lone Star state and a stage show that gives new meaning to the term "wild west," Lewis is already falling naturally into that prestigious country lineage.

"When I’m onstage, I’m an in-your-face guy and I’m all about getting the crowd jacked up and enjoying themselves," Zane says with an easy laugh. "Even my slow songs are like that; they still have power and drive. You work on an album in the studio over the course of several months and then you’re out there playing those songs live. If the audience doesn’t feel the music, you might as well just hang it up."

Lewis grew up in a home immersed in country music. “Dad had his own western swing band in college, and as a kid, I remember hearing him play ’Faded Love’ and other Bob Wills’ tunes on his fiddle late into the night. On family vacations, the car was stocked with all the ‘right’ 8-track tapes and we’d wear out the player listening to Willie, Waylon and The Eagles." Like any American kid, Zane also encountered his share of rock ’n’ roll. Anyone who sees him perform live should know that he counts Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, U2 and Elvis among his influences. A self-professed audiophile, it took Lewis a while to come around to the idea of a musical career.

"I didn’t start playing guitar until college," he admits. "For years I was a closet singer, really a ’shower’ singer. I had the Strait, Garth and Haggard sound workin’ those bathroom acoustics. It drove my roommates crazy.” Lewis spent those college years in Lubbock, attending Texas Tech on the "six-year party plan" and living on a steady diet of ’Texas Spoon Blue Margaritas’ and classic country music.

After school, the graduate took his advertising degree and entered the magazine publishing business, eventually establishing Western & English Today, an equestrian publication that became so successful that in 2000, Zane and his business partner sold it to a larger national publication, Cowboys & Indians.

With the money he made from that sale, Zane took the leap and entered the recording studio with LeAnn Rimes’ road band, to cut his debut album, THIS TOWN. The disc delivered three Texas Music chart hits: the title track, I Hate to See Her Go and Beer Drinkin’ Women. That success has kept Lewis on the road steadily, headlinin g his own shows and opening for artists like Dwight Yoakam, Chris Cagle, Steve Holy and Deryl Dodd. “We don’t call it touring down here because in Texas you’re really just playing all the time," says Zane. “I play anywhere I can - every chance I get."

ZANE LEWIS is a natural expression of this singer/songwriter’s talents. Recorded in both Texas and Tennessee, the sessions made the most of both locales, and attracted an unexpected collaborator in superstar songwriter/producer Brett James (Jesus Take the Wheel, Blessed, When the Sun Goes Down). “Brett heard what we were doing,” says Zane. “And we were fortunate to get him to produce three tracks.” The 12-song collection strikes a rare balance - with from-the-heart ballads like Come With Me, This’ll Be a Memory and Leavin’ offsetting undeniable barn-burners like Becky Brown’s Daddy and Southland. Lewis co-wrote Bad Ass Country Band with producer Lex Lipsitz (Wade Bowen, Jessi Colter, Shooter Jennings), and it epitomizes his own brand of “fuel-injected country."