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Peter Rowan

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Peter Rowan
Rowan on the Americana Stage at MerleFest in 2017
Rowan on the Americana Stage atMerleFestin 2017
Background information
Born(1942-07-04)July 4, 1942(age 82)
Wayland, MassachusettsU.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, mandolin, saxophone
Years active1963–present
LabelsRounder,Flying Fish,Sugar Hill,Compass,Omnivore
Websitepeter-rowan

Peter Hamilton Rowan[1](born July 4, 1942) is an Americanbluegrassmusician and composer. He plays guitar andmandolin,yodelsand sings. He is a seven-timeGrammy Awardnominee.

Biography

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Rowan (right) withFlaco Jiménezon stage at Farnham, U.K., 1985
Rowan and the Free Mexican Airforce atDelFest2009

Rowan was born inWayland, Massachusettsto 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 theLilly Brothersand Tex Logan at the Hillbilly Ranch,[3]and formed his firstrockabillyband the Cupids 1956.[4][5]

Influenced by the blues musicianEric Von Schmidt,Rowan traded his electric guitar for anacousticand began to play the blues. He was also influenced by the folk sound ofJoan Baez.In college, he discoveredbluegrassafter hearingThe Country GentlemenandThe Stanley Brothers.He soon discovered the music ofBill Monroe,and with some help from banjo playerBill Keith,he was invited toNashvilleto 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]

Rowan teamed up withDavid Grismanin 1967 forming the bandEarth Operawhich frequently opened forThe Doors.In 1969, Rowan joinedSeatrain.[9]In 1973, Rowan, together withRichard Greene,Grisman, Bill Keith, andClarence White,formed the bluegrass bandMuleskinner.The band released one studio album.[10]

The same year (1973), Rowan and Grisman formedOld & In the Waywith Greene,Jerry Garcia,andJohn Kahn.[11]He wrote the song "Panama Red" that year. Greene was later replaced byVassar Clements.[12]Old & In the Way disbanded in 1974; shortly thereafter, Rowan joinedThe 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 fiddlerTex 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 recordThe 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 byNew Riders of the Purple Sage,including "Panama Red", "Midnight Moonlight" and "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy".

Rowan also features onIn No Sense? Nonsense!,an album by UK bandArt 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 albumDustbowl Childrenand later recorded byEmmylou Harrison the 1992 Disney albumCountry Music for Kids.Rowan releasedQuartet(2007), the second collaboration with guitarist and bluegrass musicianTony Rice.Rowan contributed to the 2011 bluegrasstribute albumto the Britishprogressive rockbandthe Moody Blues,entitledMoody Bluegrass TWO...Much Love,singing lead vocal onMike Pinder's song "Dawn Is a Feeling".[13]

His more recent releases areThe Old School(2013) on Compass Records,Peter Rowan's Twang n Groove Vol. 1on There Records,Dharma Blues(2014) on Omnivore Recordings,My Aloha!(2017) also on Omnivore Recordings, andCarter Stanley's Eyes(2018) on Rebel Records.[14]

In 1997 Rowan received aGrammy Awardfor his contributions to the bluegrass compilationTrue Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe.The album won forBest Bluegrass Albumthat year. He has also received sixGrammynominations throughout his career.[15]

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 is aBuddhist.[17]

Various acts

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Rowan (left) performing withTony Ricein 2008

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band

Rowan's career in bluegrass started in 1964 as part of Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass legend 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 Gerberon 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 virtuoso 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]

Discography

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Further information:Peter Rowan discography

Notes

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  1. ^"ALL ON A RISING DAY".ASCAP.American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.RetrievedApril 26,2023.
  2. ^ab"Biography".peter-rowan.Archived fromthe originalon April 20, 2017.
  3. ^Fiorito, Mike (March 31, 2023).Mescalito Riding His White Horse.Collective Ink.ISBN9781803411194.RetrievedApril 25,2024.
  4. ^abGoldsmith 2004, p. 263.
  5. ^Von Schmidt, Rooney 1994, p. 64.
  6. ^"Blue Grass Time recording dates".discogs.2023.
  7. ^Goldsmith 2004, p. 263–264.
  8. ^Rosenberg, Wolfe 1991, p. 27–28.
  9. ^Goldsmith 2004, p. 264.
  10. ^abGoldsmith 2004, p. 265.
  11. ^Jackson 2000, p. 240.
  12. ^Jackson 2000, p. 241.
  13. ^"Moody Bluegrass TWO...Much Love".RetrievedSeptember 6,2015.
  14. ^"Peter Rowan: Discography".AllMusic.n.d.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.
  15. ^"Artist: Peter Rowan".grammy.Recording Academy. n.d.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.
  16. ^"Bluegrass Heritage Foundation official website".2010.RetrievedDecember 28,2015.
  17. ^"Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band: The Fresh Air Interview".Wbur.org.RetrievedJanuary 28,2013.
  18. ^abc"Peter Rowan Discography".peter-rowan.RetrievedJune 8,2018.
  19. ^"Peter Rowan Discography".peter-rowan.RetrievedJune 11,2018.

References

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  • 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
  • Von Schmidt, Eric – Rooney, Jim (1994),Baby, Let Me Follow You Down,University of Massachusetts Press
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