Biographies - Beth Lawrence
Beth Lawrence was born and raised in southern Wisconsin town of
Kenosha. Introduced to bluegrass by her father, Beth has
been playing bass for over ten years. From early age, she
performed with her family's band, "The Lawrence Family." Though bass is her main instrument, Beth studied classical piano and clarinet as a child. Her musical interests lead her to attend the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, pursuing a degree in choir directing and voice. Though Beth grew up geographically far from the South, she lists one of her main influences as J.D. Crowe and the New South, evident in her style of bass playing. In 1998, Beth's passion for playing bluegrass lead her to relocate to Johnson City, Tenn., where she became a part of the respected bluegrass program at ETSU, performing with the ETSU Senior Band. In the next few years, she spent a lot of time in the East Tennessee area, where she played with many bands, including, The Steven's Sisters, The Jim Hurst Band, The Gena Britt Band, and the house band for Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Beth has been playing with The Mark Newton Band since October of 2003, and currently makes her home in Nashville, Tenn. |