ABOUT D'VONNE
Winner of the 2013, 2018 and 2021 “NW Instrumentalist of the Year” honors in the Seattle Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards, D’Vonne Lewis is the grandson of the ‘Godfather’ of rock and roll/soul, 1950s-1960s Northwest organ legend, Dave Lewis.
D'Vonne Lewis graduated with honors from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School in 2002 and was a member of the award-winning jazz band, directed by SRJO trombonist, Scott Brown. While in high school, D’Vonne received the Essentially Ellington Drum soloist award for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. Lewis resides in Seattle, WA, and extensively tours and performs various gigs in styles ranging from jazz, big band, funk, hip-hop, rock, Brazilian and African.
PROJECTS
D'Vonne has recorded and performed with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis; Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; Maria Schneider; Digable Planets; Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam; Christian McBride; John Clayton; tap dance legend Savion Glover; George Porter, Jr. of the Funky Meters; George Cables; vocalist Dee Daniels; Diane “Deedles” Schuur; pianist Marian McPartland; jazz trombone legend Julian Priester; Hadley Caliman; Floyd Standifer and a number of other local and national artists.
Lewis composes for his own band, ‘D’Vonne Lewis’ LIMITED EDITION’; his own trio/quartet under his name and D’Vonne Lewis 2.(duo)
He is also the 2006 Earshot Golden Ear Award winner for ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ and the 2014 Stranger Magazine ‘Genius’ award recipient and serves on the Seattle Jazz Fellowship Board.
ROOTS OF THE LEGACY
D'Vonne's Family History
DAVID "BIG POP" LEWIS
D'Vonne's Great Grandfather
The Texas-born David Eugene Lewis, Sr. came to the Pacific Northwest with his family during World War II. He moved his family from Texas to seek work in the navy town of Bremerton, Washington, across the Puget Sound from Seattle, where he settled in the segregated Sinclair Heights housing projects. Not only was his young and beautiful wife Bertha Lewis a first-call gospel pianist around the greater NW, but he himself was an accomplished amateur guitarist. In fact, one of the Lewis family neighbor’s was the young Quincy Jones, who often took music lessons from David, Sr. David Lewis, Sr. along with the Jones family both eventually moved to Seattle, where they lived about five blocks apart from one another in the Central District, the center of African-American life in Seattle at the time. Adorably well-known in the neighborhood as “Big Pop”, he continued to play the guitar and mentor the up and coming musicians, including a young, left-handed guitarist named James Marshall Hendrix, (later known to the world as Jimi Hendrix) he kept himself busy working as a fabricator at Boeing and pulling shifts in his very own barber shop until his death(cancer) in 1982.
The Lewis Family from left to right: 1. Eunice Scott (twin sister of Dave Lewis) 2. "Big Pop" Dave Lewis, Sr (Local guitarist) 3. Bertha "Oma" Lewis (First call organist in Seattle) 4. Young David Lewis 5. baby brother Eulysses Lewis (Ex owner of Paramount and President of West Coast Theater Corporation).
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BERTHA OMA LEWIS
D'Vonne's Great Grandmother
Mother of Northwest Musician David Lewis Bertha Bernice Lewis, aged 97, died on April 8th at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Bertha was born to the union of Zack and Jessie Price in Waxahachie, Texas on March 29, 1920 with twin brother, Braxton, Price.
Bertha married David Lewis Sr. in 1937, and it was their common love for music that cemented their bond. Bertha was an accomplished piano player, playing for her church in Fort Worth, and David was an accomplished guitar player. After migrating to the Northwest in 1942, she and David joined the membership at the First AME church in Seattle where they both sung in the choir for over 35 years. Bertha retired from the Boeing Company after over 33 years of employment. Bertha was also a great cook, with her specialty being sweet potato pie. In addition to raising their four children, Bertha was an Eastern Star rising to the top tier status of Worthy Matron after serving in the organization for over 35 years.
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Preceding her in passing was her husband David, her son David Eugene Lewis, and daughter LaDonna Marie Lewis, twin brother Braxton Price, and sisters, Lucy Moore, Nadine Price, Gertrude Jones, and Evelyn Barlow.
Bertha is survived by her daughter Eunice Jean Scott (James Scott, also a twin, and son Eulysses Bertrand Lewis (Devoter Lewis); numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
DAVID LEWIS
D'Vonne's Grandfather
David Eugene Lewis (1938 – March 13, 1998) was an American rock and rhythm & blues (R&B) keyboardist, organist, and vocalist based in Seattle, Washington, US. Peter Blecha accounts his Dave Lewis Combo as "Seattle's first significant African American 1950s rock and roll band" and Lewis himself as "the singularly most significant figure on the Pacific Northwest's nascent rhythm & blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Grandfather Dave Lewis #3, whom Donovon lovingly calls, "PawPaw" who started out as a drummer and later became a performing vocalist, continues to be a loving supporter and enthusiastic advocator of both D’Vonne and his son Donovon.
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BEVERLY ERNESTINE WASHINGTON
D'Vonne's Grandmother
Beverly Ernestine Washington was born on August 15, 1939 in Vancouver, B.C. In her younger days would dance at local nightclubs in Seattle, Washington. She would frequently be seen at a majority of Dave Lewis gigs and they eventually had a son together, David Lewis, Jr, D’Vonne’s father.
Beverly was most instrumental in getting D’Vonne to start his bands.(Industrial Revelation/LIMITED EDITION)
D’Vonne cherished and loved his grandmother and will always remember her, because she is the one who bought him his very first drum set from a yard sale when he was just 8 years old.
DAVID LEWIS JR
D'Vonne's Father
As a youngster, David Lewis Jr grew up in Seattle and went to Stevens Elementary School. He was raised in the church at 16th and East Fir Street. He attended South Shore Middle School and Rainier Beach High School and around this time he was asked to be the church drummer of the Evangelical Temple of Faith on 23rd and Atlantic street. There, he was a drummer for 12 years. After seeing a picture of Dave Lewis on the drums, this is when a young D'Vonne Lewis decided to be a drummer.
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DEBORAH WRIGHT
D'Vonne's Mother
Deborah was born and raised in Seattle, Washington by Melvin and Buelah Green from Louisiana. As a young child, she developed an early appreciation for music by listening to Blues, Soul and R&B. Before attending Rainer Beach High School, she attended South Shore Middle School where she took up violin under the direction of Seattle's own Robert Knatt. To showcase her up and coming talents, she would often organize and perform shows with her 6 sisters for guests at home. She continues to foster her appreciation for music by attending local shows and concerts. At 3 years old, D'Vonne was able to hone his skills by playing along to her favorite albums on the pots and pans.
DONOVON D'VONNE KRANZLER-LEWIS
D'Vonne's Son
There are some things that can be taught and some things that are just in the bloodline. Before birth, D'Vonne's son - Donovon D'Vonne Kranzler-Lewis was bopping, tapping, rocking and rolling to the sounds of his own beat in his mothers womb. He was born February 7th, 2013 to his loving parents.
Donovon loves all instruments including bass, piano, guitar and vocals. As of now, he is focused on becoming one of the greatest jazz and funk drummers ever! Donovon has performed at various festivals and local gigs with his dad and has even performed with some of Seattle's top notch jazz musicians in addition to a slew of other NW artists.
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Donovon daily performs drums at school, at home for his parents' dinner guests and wants to play the drums for R&B singer Rihanna, Bruno Mars and before his death, the late-great King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
