Do not go where the path may lead, go where there is no path and leave a trail.

Ralph Waldo Emmerson

About Lonesome Liz

Lonesome Liz is a multi-disciplinary artist dubbed ‘The Female Robert Johnson’ by ‘Southern Fried Magazine’. As an Outlaw Country and Blues singer/songwriter, she currently performs with Cameron Bentley, a member of the talented Mellencamp family.  As both musician and multi-media producer, her performances have featured Drive-by Truckers artist Wes Freed, the notorious Jesco White and other notable Outlaws.

As both a visual artist and curator, her exhibits have included some of the most truly revolutionary artists of our time like Molly Crabapple, who in addition to ruling the New York art scene is known for her drawings of Occupy Wall Street and the recent Bradley Manning and Guantanamo trials and Bob Masse, iconic poster artist for Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead and dozens of others, from the 60s to the present day. She also re-launched the Richmond, Va branch of Molly's brain child, Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School.

Also a journalist, she was the last writer to interview Mike Seeger, (the Grammy Award winning Roots artist who inspired Dylan to write his own songs) and her upcoming album, ‘Ghosts and Gallows’ is a tribute to him. Liz also wrote a definitive piece on Levon Helm, inspired by experiences with his Midnight Rambles from the time of his ‘‘Dirt Farmer’ Grammy, (the first in the Americana Genre), to his death last year. Dylan himself praised the piece. Liz writes for ‘Outlaw Magazine’, ‘Fine Art Magazine’ and GratefulWeb.net.

She was born in Richmond Virginia to parents who, in spite of having cerebral palsy both held advanced degrees (in fine art and advertising) and were determined to have a family too. Her mother is from one of the First Families of Virginia and many ancestors were directly involved in the founding of the country. Their history is filled with intrigue, first recorded in the time of Charlemagne when they delivered messages to him from the ruler of Northumbria (800AD). It also includes the Knight who led the Last Crusade, the foreman of the jury that convicted Anne Boleyn and an adventurous pre-Revolutionary Virginian captured by pirates in Algiers.

Her Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Gov. John Page was the best friend of Thomas Jefferson and the first draft of the Declaration of Independence is believed to have been written at his home. (A visit Liz made to the site is featured in the best-selling 'Everything Ghost Hunting Book') Other notable ancestors include ante-bellum novelist Thomas Nelson Page, Lawrence Page, Edgar Allen Poe's editor at the Southern Literary Messenger and Pulp Fiction novelist/spy, Norvell Page, who's writing was the inspiration for 'Spiderman' and 'Batman'.

After studying theater arts from age 8 to 17, Liz first performed as an actress, with stage roles ranging from beyond homogenized, (Katrin in 'I Remember Mama') to stark and edgy, (Estelle in Sartre's 'No Exit' and both Mommy and Grandma in 2 productions of Albee's 'American Dream').  Other productions included Anything Goes, the demanding lead role in Nuts, Neil Simon's Jake's Women ad Jane Martin's Talking With. She was also featured in Leon's Aspirations, an award-winning short film as well dozens of commercials and voice overs.  Liz additionally spent several years as a member of the house improv troupe at Louisville's Comedy Caravan.

She ultimately wrote and directed as well, first co-founding a theater company to produce an original play, Greyhound Blues with Bill Green a Professor of English she met while attending WKU.  After a long-hiatus spent writing features and songs, she returned to writing for stage with Lonesome Liz's Mojo Sideshow, a multi-media presentation that included art by Wes Freed and Molly Crabapple and an Outlaw Country/Gospel score performed with J. B. Beverley. She is currently working on a Wild West version, Jesse James and the Generals. She began writing as Slam was emerging in Chicago, working with a group of poets called 'The Unofficial Soup Kitchen' and poetry, still the driving force of her creativity, is the core of all of her productions.

Liz began performing as a vocalist in Oldsmophelia a duo with multi-instrumentalist John Thompson that focused heavily on Jazz. In part as a result of her music journalism, she began to perform as a singer/songwriter, ultimately leaping onto the modern Outlaw/Roots scene with viral video performances with dancing outlaw Jesco White, (Mr. Seeger had, ironically, placed Jesco's father in the public eye with his own video production in the 60s).  She lives in Nashville, Tennessee and will be a featured artist there during this years' Americana Music Association Awards week. 

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