Aaron Lewis
| Aaron Lewis | |
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Lewis performing at the Rolling Rock Town Fair
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| Background information | |
| Born |
April 13, 1972 Rutland City, Vermont, U.S. |
| Origin | Longmeadow, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
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| Website | aaronlewismusic |
Aaron Lewis (born April 13, 1972) is an American musician and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock band Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo EP Town Line, which was released on March 1, 2011 on Stroudavarious Records. Lewis' first full-length solo release, The Road, was released by Blaster Records on November 13, 2012.
In 2006, Lewis was ranked at number 49 in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader.
Lewis grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and then moved to the Forest Park section of nearby Springfield from 8th grade through high school. His hobbies include fishing, playing golf, riding his motorcycle and dirt bike, and hunting. He has worked in landscaping, cleaned hotel rooms, and played solo acoustic sets in bars, pool halls, restaurants and coffeehouses.
Before Staind, Lewis was in a band known as J-CAT with Tori Sands, Chris Ballini, and former Staind bandmate Jon Wysocki. An album surfaced on the internet with nine of J-CAT's performances at Club Infinity in Springfield, Massachusetts. The performances were recorded while Dysfunction was being recorded. Two of Staind's popular singles—"Outside" and "It's Been Awhile"—were both originally performed by J-CAT with somewhat different lyrics. Lewis has stated in multiple interviews that music has always been his outlet for getting the feeling off his chest. He met Staind lead guitarist Mike Mushok at a Christmas party in 1993, where they became acquainted. Mike told him about plans on starting a band; however, around that time, Lewis was actually homeless in the New England area. They were going to name the band Staind with the correct dictionary spelling of 'stained', but a punk rock group called Lit had previously used that band name with the same spelling. Lewis says out of respect for the band, they dropped the 'e' in the word 'stained' for their own signature band name. Lewis' music has often focused on his family's issues (until his country music surfaced, now that he and his parents are closer) and his struggles of growing up. He won't comment much on his childhood, but says he had low self-esteem back then (not necessarily now) and that he was often depressed and often "felt very alone". His songs have become much more positive over the years than in the beginning, but he's stated that his lyrics are always reality-based, and he believes it's why so many have had a strong personal connection to his music over the years. Most fans who've met Lewis say he can be shy when he's not on-stage but friendly, down-to-earth, and one who possesses an upbeat attitude about life. He's said in interviews that he's never desired to wear much of a celebrity image; that though he's pleased with the success he's had in music, he also enjoys the fact that he can go places with his daughters and people still won't recognize him as Aaron Lewis or come up to him. He's an outdoor kind of person (growing up in the Massachusetts countryside) and is very family-oriented. His feelings on raising a child of his own were expressed in the Staind song he wrote about his daughter, "Zoe Jane". He calls it the song he's most proud of writing (AskMen.com interview). On August 1, 2014, Lewis was on hand to roll the first dice and perform at the opening of The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sioux City, Iowa.
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