Michelle Lambert

The youngest of six children, Michelle, 18, was born and raised in Round Valley. She learned her music from local artists: Donna Lim, violin; Mildred Pinkham, voice and piano; Kevin Wells, drums, songwriting and Gary Bowman, bluegrass band! She took what she learned and worked persistently with it. Her inspiration? Just trying to keep up with her brothers and sister.

At two years of age, Michelle eagerly began violin lessons with Donna Lim and forged ahead learning folk and classical songs through the Suzuki Method for the violin.

At five she joined a children's chorus led by Mildred Pinkham and was introduced to the delight of learning new songs and singing in harmony with other voices. A year later, Michelle with her brothers, Kenny and David, began private voice lessons with Mrs. Pinkham, learning classical songs and 3-part harmonies. All three of them also studied piano with Mrs. Pinkham. Michelle studied voice and piano for seven years with an emphasis on classical pieces.

Michelle, at nine, began studying drums with Kevin Wells and discovered great fun with a trap drum set. Her practice on the drums instilled a solid sense of beat that carries into all of her music. As she learned percussion, Kevin introduced songwriting and Michelle began to write her own songs.

At ten she played second fiddle to her older sister, Heidi, as they both contributed fiddle and vocal harmonies to the bluegrass sound of the Round Valley Hogcallers. After a year of performing alongside her sister in the band and learning a wealth of old-time American and Celtic tunes, Heidi left Round Valley and Michelle stepped to first fiddle. Not sure at first, but knowing the tunes, and with the kind command of bandleader Gary Bowman, his concise arrangements and countless gigs across northern California, Michelle learned to play, improvise and hit the road with a band. Band members, Gene Cox and Bob Helme, enriched the experience with subtle friendly help and lots of musical fun. Michelle played the Hogcallers for four years. It made her a musician.

With the Hogcallers on an indefinite hiatus, as bandmembers moved away from Covelo, Michelle continued to perform with various musicians and bands and began to perform solo fiddle and vocals. At home she explored creating soundtracks for her original songs and wrote new arrangements for old songs. Through this musical journey, Michelle is emerging as a strong original voice on the entertainment horizon.