Bryan Bowers
Bryan Bowers (born August 18, 1940 in Yorktown, Virginia) is an American autoharp player who is frequently credited with introducing the instrument to new generations of musicians.[1]
Career
Bowers became very popular with the audience of the comedy radio program The Dr. Demento Show with his 1980 recording of Mike Cross' song "The Scotsman".[2] In 1993, Bowers was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame whose membership includes Mother Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter.[3]
In two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007, he released new recordings: Bristlecone Pine and September in Alaska. "Although such guests as Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, and Enright and O'Bryant play and sing on a number of cuts, this is a Bryan Bowers disc all the way, with his exquisite autoharp flavoring many of the tunes," wrote a November 2006 Bluegrass Unlimited reviewer of Bristlecone Pine. "Bowers selects thematically diverse and lyrically strong material. There are powerful love songs ("When You And I Were True" and "Magnolia") and non-cloying meditations on life and death ("Bristlecone Pine," "Friend For Life," and "When I Go"), as well as haunting instrumentals. He nicely avoids the hackneyed stuff of so many folk/bluegrass/country performers."[4] He maintains an active performance and teaching schedule.
Awards
- Contemporary Inductee, Autoharp Hall of Fame, 1993.
- Lifetime Achievement Award, California Autoharp Gathering, 2006.[5]
- Induction into Frets Magazine's First Gallery of the Greats[6]
Select Discography
- The View from Home, Flying Fish, 1977
- Home, Home on the Road, Flying Fish, 1980
- By Heart, Flying Fish, 1982
- For You, Flying Fish, 1990
- Friend for Life, Flying Fish, 2002
- Bristlecone Pine, Seattle Sounds, 2006
- September in Alaska, Seattle Sounds, 2007
References
- ↑ Bluegrass Unlimited
- ↑ Details for The Scotsman - Bryan Bowers. The Demented Music Database
- ↑ Autoharp Hall of Fame Inductees Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Bluegrass Unlimited
- ↑ California Autoharp Gathering Archived May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Bryan Bowers - Master Autoharpist, Storyteller, singer/songwriter/performing artist Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.