John Cowan has followed a meandering path on his musical journey, including sixteen years in the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, a soul focused solo record followed by several roots albums and most recently a place in the latest version of the Doobie Brothers.
In 1974 Cowan auditioned as bassist for the New Grass Revival, a band that bucked the traditions of bluegrass in both style and substance. Cowan began a sixteen year run with the band establishing himself as ‘the voice of newgrass’, a genre that followed the bands lead into fusing contemporary music with traditional bluegrass style. New Grass Revival was a forerunner of today’s string instrument based jam bands like Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band.
When New Grass Revival ended their run in 1990, Cowan started his solo career, first releasing a blues record before returning to a more familiar Americana style.
Throughout his career John Cowan has been known for his versatility, ollaborating with a broad range of musicians in the studio and on stage. His most recent solo record Sixty illustrates his connections by the extensive list of featured artists. Cowan performs with his old New Grass Revival bandmate Sam Bush, Rodney Crowell, Bonnie Bramblett and a host of others.
Since 2010 Cowan has performed as the bassist in the Doobie Brothers and is currently touring with the band on their 50th Anniversary Tour.
In 2020 Cowan and his bandmates in New Grass Revival finally received acceptance by the bluegrass community when they were inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
