Try it free

C.J. Lewandowski

Musician · b. 1987 · Jefferson County, Missouri · theporamblinboys.com
Best known for Mandolin

C.J. Lewandowski is a Missouri-born mandolinist and lead singer who founded The Po' Ramblin' Boys in 2014 as the house band at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery — a Bobby Osborne mentee whose Rounder Records run earned 2018 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year and a 2019 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy nomination for "Toil, Tears & Trouble."

Assisted by AI. Spot something off? Help us fix it.
  • Born 1987 and grew up in Jefferson County, Missouri, south of St. Louis.
  • Earliest musical mentor was his maternal grandmother, Doris Highfill; learned mandolin around Ozark-region pickers including Ray Gore and Jim Orchard.
  • Cited Don Brown and the Ozark Mountain Trio, and later Bobby Osborne, as major influences and mentors.
  • Founded The Po' Ramblin' Boys in 2014 to play as a house band at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in the Smoky Mountains region of East Tennessee.
  • Plays mandolin and sings lead/harmony in the band, which is signed to Rounder Records.
  • The Po' Ramblin' Boys won the 2018 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award.
  • Their album "Toil, Tears & Trouble" (2019) was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy.
  • Recorded the tribute project "Keep On Keepin' On" honoring his late mentor Bobby Osborne, with Osborne and other guests.

Share Playlist