Peter Rowan[1] (born July 4, 1942) is an American bluegrass musician and composer. He plays guitar, fiddle, dobro, banjo, bass, piano and mandolin, yodels and does the scream vocals. He played over seven songs with Charlie Louvin and one song with Bill Monroe.
Rowan (right) with Flaco Jiménez on stage at Farnham, U.K., 1985Rowan and the Free Mexican Airforce at DelFest 2009
Rowan was born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family.[2] From an early age, he had an interest in music and learned to play the guitar from his uncle.[2] He was influenced by musicians such as the Lilly Brothers and Tex Logan at the Hillbilly Ranch,[3] and formed his first rockabilly band the Cupids 1956.[4][5]
Influenced by the blues musician Eric Von Schmidt, Rowan traded his electric guitar for an acoustic and began to play the blues. He was also influenced by the folk sound of Joan Baez. In college, he discovered bluegrass after hearing The Country Gentlemen and The Stanley Brothers. He soon discovered the music of Bill Monroe, and with some help from banjo player Bill Keith, he was invited to Nashville to audition for Monroe.[4] Accompanied by Keith, Rowan went to Nashville and was hired in 1964[6] as songwriter, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.[7] His recording debut as a "bluegrass boy" took place on October 14, 1966 and he recorded a total of fourteen songs with Monroe, including the classic "Walls of Time" co-written with Monroe, before his tenure ended in the spring of 1967.[8]
The same year (1973), Rowan and Grisman formed Old & In the Way with Greene, Jerry Garcia, and John Kahn.[11] He wrote the song "Panama Red" that year. Greene was later replaced by Vassar Clements.[12] Old & In the Way disbanded in 1974; shortly thereafter, Rowan joined The Rowans, a reconstituted version of his brothers' band (The Rowan Brothers, who had recorded and toured since 1970) for three years. For a time, he was touring with Greene in Japan and playing clubs with fiddler Tex Logan. He also formed the Green Grass Gringos,[10] as well as The Wild Stallions with Roger Mason and Jon Sholle.
Rowan joined The Mother Bay State Entertainers in 1963 and played mandolin on the three tracks the group contributed to the 1965 various artist record The String Band Project. He has recorded and performed with his brothers, Lorin and Chris, at various times, starting in 1972. He has composed songs performed by New Riders of the Purple Sage, including "Panama Red", "Midnight Moonlight" and "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy".
Rowan also features on In No Sense? Nonsense!, an album by UK band Art of Noise. His is the voice (yodel) on "One Earth", the last song of the album. It was recorded 1987, and it was released by China Records and Chrysalis Records Ltd. that same year.[citation needed]
Rowan collaborated with his daughter, Amanda Rowan, to write the song "On the Wings of Horses", which was recorded on Rowan's 1990 album Dustbowl Children and later recorded by Emmylou Harris on the 1992 Disney album Country Music for Kids. Rowan released Quartet (2007), the second collaboration with guitarist and bluegrass musician Tony Rice. Rowan contributed to the 2011 bluegrass tribute album to the British progressive rock band the Moody Blues, entitled Moody Bluegrass TWO...Much Love, singing lead vocal on Mike Pinder's song "Dawn Is a Feeling".[13]
His more recent releases are The Old School (2013) on Compass Records, Peter Rowan's Twang n Groove Vol. 1 on There Records, Dharma Blues (2014) on Omnivore Recordings, My Aloha! (2017) also on Omnivore Recordings, and Carter Stanley's Eyes (2018) on Rebel Records.[14]
Rowan received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation of Dallas, Texas, on October 20, 2012. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.[16]
Rowan's career in bluegrass started in 1964 as part of Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe thought that Rowan sounded like himself. “When the two harmonized together, they were said to reach ‘heavenly heights.’"[18] Rowan co-wrote ‘Walls Of Time’ with Monroe, which has since become a bluegrass standard.
Peter Rowan's Bluegrass Band consists of Blaine Sprouse on fiddle, Christopher Henry on mandolin, Paul Knight on bass, Patrick Sauber on banjo, Jamie Oldaker on drums. The band plays Rowan's original tunes along with Bill Monroe and Carter Family classics.
Peter Rowan's Big Twang Theory
Rowan leads Big Twang Theory with musicians Mike Witcher on dobro, Paul Knight on bass, Nina Gerber on electric guitar, and Rowan's son Michael Carter Rowan on guitar and vocals. Drummers Larry Attamanuik and Ken Owen and banjo player Jeff Mosier also appear with Rowan's Big Twang Theory when their schedules permit. "I have always wanted a band that was rooted in bluegrass, but could add the twang of Hank Williams, Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly. They all absorbed Bill Monroe's bluegrass into honky-tonk and rockabilly. I grew up dancing to that music.”[18] – Peter Rowan.
Peter Rowan's Twang an' Groove
Twang an' Groove is a blend of rhythm and blues, reggae, and bluegrass music. The band features Rowan on electric guitar and vocals, Blaine Sprouse on fiddle, Mike Morgan on bass, and drummer, Jamie Oldaker. [18]
Peter Rowan & Crucial Reggae
This outfit is Rowan's nod to reggae music. Rowan's diversity in musical ability ventures beyond his bluegrass roots with Crucial Reggae to bring some of Rowan's most soulful original music to light. He is accompanied by reggae greats Tony Chin and Fully Fullwood, on guitar and bass respectively. Crucial Reggae is sometimes accompanied by other musicians to form an either five or six-piece band. They become a nine-piece band when they are joined by the Burning Spear horn section.
The Free Mexican Airforce
The Free Mexican Airforce features Rowan and some of his most beloved songs: "Come Back to Old Santa Fe", "Ride the Wild Mustang", "Midnight Moonlight", and "Free Mexican Airforce". This four-piece often features Cindy Cashdollar on pedal steel guitar along with players on bass and drums.[19]
William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, and created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".
David Anthony Rice was an American bluegrass guitarist and singer. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
Muleskinner was an American bluegrass supergroup, active during the early 1970s.
Charles Samuel Bush is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame a second time in 2023 as a solo artist.
Old & In the Way was a bluegrass group formed in 1973. It was composed of Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements (fiddle), Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and John Kahn. When the group was forming, it was intended that John Hartford would be the fiddle player. Based on Hartford's engagements, and Clements' reputational stature in the bluegrass community, Clements became the group's fiddler.
James Dee Crowe was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until his death in 2021.
Jonathan Allan "Jody" Stecher is an American singer and musician. He is best known as a bluegrass and old time musician, playing banjo, mandolin, fiddle and guitar and two of his albums with Kate Brislin have been finalists for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. He also plays sursringar in the Dagar gharana tradition of dhrupad.
That High Lonesome Sound is the second live release of bluegrass music by Old & In the Way. Like the first one, Old & In the Way, it was recorded at the Boarding House in San Francisco in October 1973. It was released in February 1996.
Breakdown is the third live release of bluegrass music by Old & In the Way.
Medicine Trail is a solo album by country rock and bluegrass musician Peter Rowan. The guest musicians include Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, David Grisman, Mike Auldridge, Flaco Jimenez, and Peter's brother Lorin Rowan. Many songs are about the oppression of American Indians. Greg Irons provided some of the artwork.
Old & In the Gray is a bluegrass album released in 2002 by the surviving members of the band Old & In the Way – Peter Rowan (guitar), David Grisman (mandolin), and Vassar Clements (fiddle). Banjoist Jerry Garcia and bassist John Kahn, both of whom were deceased, were replaced by Herb Pedersen and Bryn Bright, respectively.
Retrograss is a bluegrass album by David Grisman, John Hartford and Mike Seeger. It was released on the Acoustic Disc record label in 1999.
Andrew Edward Statman is a noted American klezmer clarinetist and bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist.
William Bradford "Bill" Keith was a five-string banjoist who made a significant contribution to the stylistic development of the instrument. In the 1960s he introduced a variation on the popular "Scruggs style" of banjo playing which would soon become known as melodic style, or "Keith style". He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
Mike Compton is an American mandolinist who has worked in bluegrass music, old-time music, folk music, and country blues. Compton is recognized for his interpretation of Bill Monroe’s mandolin style, performing as both a solo artist and with ensembles. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, he has collaborated with artists including John Hartford, Doc Watson, Elvis Costello, and Sting.
DGQ-20 is a 1996 compilation album by American musician David Grisman, recorded with his group David Grisman Quintet. Spanning the period from 1976 to 1996, this triple-CD set offers 39 songs, 18 of which were not released by Grisman before. Musicians include Tony Rice, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, Stephane Grappelli and others.
Early Dawg is a live album by American mandolinist David Grisman, released in 1980. With Del McCoury on guitar and vocals, Jerry McCoury on bass, Bill Keith on banjo plus other well-known musicians, Grisman offers a mix of traditional songs, compositions by Bill Monroe and his own contributions, mainly of bluegrass and progressive bluegrass style. These are some of Grisman's earliest solo recordings from March 1966, except track 16 with Frank Wakefield was recorded in June 1973. The album was released on Sugar Hill.
Muleskinner is the eponymous debut album by the progressive bluegrass group Muleskinner, recorded at the Record Plant, Hollywood, California, March 27 through April 14, 1973, and released later that year. It is their only studio album. The album was re-released by Ridge Runner in 1978 and re-issued on a compact disc in 1994 under the title A Potpourri of Bluegrass Jam, which was a banner on the front cover of the original album release.
Walker's Run is an acoustic bluegrass band based out of Lexington, Virginia who also play New Grass and Jazz music.
Live at the Boarding House: The Complete Shows is a four-CD live album by the bluegrass band Old & In the Way. It was recorded on October 1 and October 8, 1973, at the Boarding House in San Francisco, and contains the complete concerts from those dates. It was released by Acoustic Disc and Acoustic Oasis on October 1, 2013. The album includes 55 tracks, 14 of which were previously unreleased.
References
Fiorito, Mike (2023), Mescalito Riding His White Horse, Inspired by the Musical Adventures of Peter Rowan (O-Books)
Goldsmith, Thomas (2004), The Bluegrass Reader, University of Illinois Press
Jackson, Blair (), Garcia: An American Life, Penguin
Rosenberg, Neil V. – Wolfe, Charles (1991), Booklet: Bill Monroe, Bluegrass 1959–1969, Bear Family BCD 15529
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