John Cowan

 Musician, Bass Guitarist, and Singer Extraordinaire

It was somewhere in the mid seventy's when I first came across the New Grass Revival band.  Their genre of music was not what I was into at the time but the first time I hear them I said "Wow".  I was amazed by the talent of those four musicians, and of course, the bass player, John Cowan.  John was not just an amazing bass player and extremely talented singer, but a wonderful musician dedicated to his craft.  With almost two decades playing with the New Grass Revival, another decade and a half with bands like the Doobie Brother, the John Cowan Band, and musicians like John Hartford, Travis Triff, Alison Krauss, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Garth Brooks, and the list just goes on and on, John is one of the most sought-after bass player and vocalist today.

In mid seventies John Cowan joined the New Grass Revival as their bass player and lead singer. John and the band, made up of Courtney Johnson (banjo, vocals), Sam Bush (vocals, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Curtis Burch (dobra, guitar, vocals), introduced fans to an new, experimental version of bluegrass music. All of the members brought elements of rock & roll, jazz, and blues to the group's sound. They inspired and entertained fans with a new, brand of blue grass music.

Johnson and Burch left the band in 1981, and were replaced by guitarist Pat Flynn and Béla Fleck. Bela Fleck and Pat Flynn inserted new energy to the band that moved them to new musical heights during the 1980,s. The New Grass revival disbanded in 1990.

In the early nineties, John joined the Doobie Brothers for two years, adding both his bass and vocal skills while on tour with the band. He then returned to his solo career which gave him

more expressive freedom.  In 2000, he formed the John Cowan Band which returned him to his roots in newgrass. 

Surrounding himself with the finest acoustic musicians, the John Cowan Band is now recapturing the magic of playing contemporary music on traditional instruments.

In 2010, because of an illness of the bass player for the Dobbie Brothers, John stepped up and filled in on bass.

In closing let me add that I admire John the most because he has never forsaken his bass to seek center stage as just a singer.  Go to his website and you will find more about him and his touring schedule for 2011. Go see him in concert, you'll never regret it. Just go see him, ya know you got to. 

Here is John with the New Grass Revival circa 1975. Oh to be that young again.

Talk about surrounding yourself with outstanding musician, check out Bela Fleck who start the band Bela Fleck and the Flecktones after the New Grass Revival disbanded in 1990.  Look who he has playing bass.

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