Inspired by other Chicago songwriters of the time such as John Prine, Steve Goodman, and Tom Dundee, she began writing and performing her own songs at coffeehouses.

By 1980, the Good Ol' Persons lineup consisted of Kathy Kallick (guitar), John Reischman (mandolin), Sally Van Meter (dobro), fiddler Paul Shelasky (later Kevin Wimmer), and bassist Bethany Raine (later Beth Weil, then Todd Phillips).

Personnel for their first ten years and two albums included Tom Bekeny on mandolin, Amy Stenberg on bass, Avram Siegel on banjo, and, for the second, fiddler Brian Wicklund.

Kallick and Lewis also toured Japan with an all-star all-women band that also included Sally Van Meter, Lynn Morris, and Markie Sanders.

She has worked with many of the country's other acclaimed acoustic musicians, including, in addition to those already mentioned, Peter Rowan, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Claire Lynch, Tim O'Brien, Ron Stewart, Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin, Darol Anger, Carol Elizabeth Jones, James Leva, Sandy Rothman, Bill Evans, Molly Tuttle, and Clive Gregson.