The Lewis Family, a gospel and bluegrass group from Lincolnton, Georgia, was founded by Roy Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis. They began performing as The Lewis Family in 1951 and released their first recordings on Sullivan Records that year. In 1954, they started a weekly television show slot in Augusta, Georgia, where they would appear until 1992. The group recorded for Starday Records from 1957 onwards and released numerous albums, including Sing Me A Gospel Song (1963) and All Night Singing Convention (1963). They toured regularly from the 1960s and held an annual festival in their hometown. The Lewis Family collaborated with producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the TV series In the Heat of the Night, performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released in the early 1990s. Due to health issues, The Lewis Family retired in May 2009, with their final concert held in 2009. The group was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992 and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 2006, and won several Dove Awards.
