In the 1960s, was a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, the first and most important bluegrass band ever, which gave the genre its name. In the 1970s, he formed the influential newgrass band Old & In The Way with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.
In the 1980s, Rowan recorded albums with Tejano accordionist Flaco Jimenez. In 2001, he made a record in Jamaica that blended bluegrass and reggae. Somewhere along the way, he toured with blues icon Lightnin’ Hopkins, who passed away 42 years ago!
This is a man who has truly done and seen it all in the world of American roots music. We could fill the rest of this page with his experiences and accomplishments.
At the same time, Rowan isn’t just a walking history lesson.
He’s still making vital music, as evidenced by his 2022 album “Calling You From My Mountain,†a wonderful collection of easygoing bluegrass that pays tribute to Hank Williams Sr. and features big-time guests like breakthrough ‘grassers Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings.
Rowan is a living, breathing music legend. Miss him at your own risk.
Peter Rowan: 7 p.m. Sunday, $35 in advance, $40 at the door, The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave., Sisters, .
Ben Salmon is a Bend-based music journalist and host of Left Of The Dial, which airs 8-10 p.m. Thursdays on KPOV, 88.9 FM and streams at . You can find him on Bandcamp and X at @bcsalmon.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.