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Electric bass player and new West Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer Lisa Lynn Lizzie-Ann (Hawker) Janoske -- inducted April 21, 2018 -- started singing at the age of three and has been going strong for four decades.
Her early teachers were known to say, "Give her a stage, and she'll perform on it." Lisa made her first stage appearance at seven with her father's band, The Royal Tones, at the Westover Fair near Morgantown. Even at a young age, she performed at Applachia Lake in Bruceton Mills with Nashville stars such as the Hagar Twins from Hee Haw, Doyle Holly, the Statler Brothers, Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker, Herb Humphrey and Lynn Anderson. In addition to her late father Jack Hawker, she counts her mentors and teachers over the years as Jack "Tiny" Waycaster, Don Corbin, Bob "Tootie" White, and Dick and Kelly Choma. She also has been a leader in the music business as the youngest member to hold office on the board of directors of the American Federation of Musicians Union in Morgantown. In 2009, Lisa and her daughter Jena joined 155 others in a performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller dance to benefit House of Hope in Garrett County, MD. In the process, they not only raised more than $30,000 but coordinated their dance with 300 cities in 32 countries to establish a record in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Today Lisa performs for Brenda's Body Shop dance company in Garrett County, MD and with her husband Bill is a member of the house band at Sagebrush Round-Up, a music hall in Bunner Ridge near Fairmont, WV which also houses the hall of fame. She has produced her own show, Honor Thy Legends, paying tribute to George Jones and Tammy Wynette. She is employed as a guidance secretary with the Garrett County Board of Education, is a Sunday School teacher and youth leader and enjoys using her music and dance to raise money for charity. She is the mother of two, Jena and Jack.
Those who have attended our national Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor Reunion will recall having met Lisa's mother, our longtime treasurer, Doris (Sands) Hawker of the family of Alma (Ream) Sands. Connect with Lisa on Facebook.
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Copyright © 2018-2019 Mark A. Miner |
