On this week’s episode of Thinkin and Drinkin Bart talks with Lois Lewis about the early days of her career and her transition into record promotion. Lois made her way back into entertainment and was only the 4th solo woman to win the ACM Personality of the Year Award!
Meet Lois Lewis:
Hi! I'm Lois Lewis, AKA, Double-L! I'm here to keep you company each day while you're working! Let's just jump right in, shall we? Things I Love: PURPLE EVERYTHING, cinnamon gum, (even though I'm allergic) Miller Lite, (ice cold, preferably in aluminum) to laugh (loudly and often), MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC! I have a tattoo (no, that's not my only one) of a lightning bolt on my right forearm reminding me to LIVE ELECTRIC (so I guess that's my hashtag) every day. My favorite quote (and I LOVE quotes) is "Make Everybody Feel Like A Somebody. I try to stick to that each day, finding the BEST in every situation (even when encountering a grumpy pants) because being negative just requires too much energy! It's easier to smile! I've wanted to be on the radio since I was a little girl. I would listen to my favorite stations and record music and deejays on my cassette player and then carry my tapes around with me everywhere. Remember those little yellow Walkmans? Yep! Still have mine! In 2009, I was given the opportunity to work for the Big Machine Label Group. That's the home of some of your favorites like Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, Jennifer Nettles, Justin Moore and more. The first (and only) time I got to fly on a private jet was also the same day I got to hear Taylor Swifts We Are Never Getting Back Together (before it was even released)! I worked for Republic Nashville, one of the imprints at the BMLG for seven years and had a hand in launching the careers of The Band Perry, Florida-Georgia Line, A Thousand Horses, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope and more! It was my job to take their songs to radio stations all across the West and convince them to play their music on the air first just a little and then more often. If I did my job well, and everything worked the way we hoped, we climbed the charts, scored #1 records and our artists got to go on tour all across the World! Some of the songs I worked on were The Band Perrys If I Die Young, All Your Life, Better Dig Two, Done Florida-Georgia Line's Cruise, Round Here, Sippin On Fire, Sun Daze, Dirt and more. Eli Young Bands Drunk Last Night, Crazy Girl, and Even If It Breaks Your Heart. We had a Top 10 with Cassadee Popes debut single Wasting All These Tears after coming off of a big season three of THE VOICE! A Thousand Horses debut single Smoke was a favorite of mine too; those guys ROCK. Working so closely with such incredible and talented artists was a dream I didn't even know I had. And I really LOVED it.But. I missed radio. Every day. So, I came back! And I love hanging out with you every single day! I never ever EVER dread coming into work; totally geek out when we get new songs from your (and my!) favorite artists and absolutely OBSESS over going to live shows. My very favorite part of my job is getting to interview artists trying to catch them off-guard with unexpected questions & making them laugh. If that happens, you can bet I'm grinning from ear to ear. Couple more fun facts about me? Well, sure. I graduated from Arizona State Universitys Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. I never skipped class & definitely didn't party enough, but I did graduate with honors, so it paid off! I have two dogs; an English Springer Spaniel named Clarence Worley & a Cockapoo named Sasha Banks. Bonus points if you know who their namesakes are. If not, that's okay. It's insider stuff. My husband Mike is about as opposite from me as you can imagine, but weare a perfect Match, which is where we met! Match.com! I set all my alarms with 3s. Like, 7:03. 7:33. Everything 3s. Itis my lucky number & I'm SUPER superstitious about it. Weird, I know. I'm not a very good cook, unless I'm making Grammys recipe Stuffed Peppers. I replace the ground beef with turkey & YUM. I used to have blue eyes but now they're green and if I dont wear my glasses, I squint. I LOVE movies mainly because I WAY WAY love popcorn. I don't sing karaoke; I rap. My song of choice is usually Young MC's Bust A Move which I realize is weird coming from a country music radio girl. I'm an only child, but I know how to share. I grew up in a retirement community because my Dad is a golf pro. My Mom was a Principal, but thankfully not mine. I played volleyball and softball in high school. I was a power hitter, but super slow around the bases, so my nickname was IceBox (as in, unhitch the Icebox from your back, Lois!). Sad. But also funny because it's true. I believe different M&Ms have different tastes due to the color of their shell. I prefer red or green. I love shooting stars. Iam a freakishly fast typist. I cannot stand bad grammar. My two favorite movies (yep; it's a tie) are Top Gun and Pretty Woman. My favorite artists are Eric Church, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, everyone I used to work with and, well, heck. Just EVERYONE. Music is my greatest passion & I try to make sure you feel that in my voice every single time I crack the mic.I hope when you hang out with me on the radio I always leave you with a smile because you do the same for me.XO,-LL
What Bart has to say: I worked with Lois when she was working in record promotion for Republic (Florida Georgia Line’s label) and was working with them through their management at the time. Lois always made going to the West Coast so much fun. She’s one of the happiest people I’ve met in my life. In fact her dog ‘Goose’ was the inspiration for us to give our oldest Mille a mohawk. I just hate it took us this long to reconnect!
In this episode, you’ll hear
Lois’ first job in radio was at the current large market radio station of the year, KNIX, so she’s come full circle.
She talks about how she worked in record promotion (7 years with Republic), which made her effective from day one and she was surprised that she stayed in promotions for that long
She’s only the 4th solo woman to win the ACM Personality of the Year Award, which is a really big deal!
Links to Connect: