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John mixes a
delicious batch of audible gumbo with ingredients of bluegrass,
blues, soul, country and rock.
Who wouldn’t love a big bowl of that?
I for one have been bingeing on it since I was a kid.
Being raised in a musical family and taught guitar at the
early age of 6 by my uncle and local bluegrass musician; Tom
Minton of The Kettleheads, you could say I was weaned on
Bluegrass. Being
primarily known as a Rock musician now with my band Wisdom,
a lot of people ask how I made the jump from bluegrass to rock.
Well, to be honest, John Cowan is the major inspiration
for that.
Mixed with
incredible musicians as band mates, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Pat
Flynn, New Grass Revival along with Queen, became the most
diverse and dynamic band of the 80’s.
Sure I was still buying Van Halen albums, and as
impressive as Eddie’s guitar work was, nothing reached me more
than the mix of New Grass Revival.
How many bands can cover in one show Bill Monroe, Marvin
Gaye, and The Beatles? Not just cover them, but make the songs their own.
“Ain’t That Peculiar”?
Many hot
summer days as a child I could easily be found at my grandma’s
farm listening to my uncles New Grass Revival albums for hours
on end thru the sonic privacy of headphones.
Amazed at the melodies, and the strength and clarity of
Johns voice. Trying
my best to sing along, often falling short of Johns incredible
range. Trying my
best to hold out notes as long as John in their cover of Jackson
Browns, “These Days”, similar to the contests kids have
swimming and trying to see who could stay under water the
longest. I don’t think I ever completed that task.
But the practice with John made me an often winner in the
pool.
As the years
went on, I tagged along many times with my uncles to different
bluegrass festivals to see John and the New Grass Revival.
I still remember clearly a festival in Louisville when
Sam Bush announced John would sing a Bill Monroe song; “Good Woman's
Love”. I can
still feel the cold chills I got that day as I’m writing this
now. John
absolutely whaled out the song with such soulful precision that
the crowd erupted in a standing ovation.
For a 12-year-old kid, I felt more than excited.
I felt proud. As
if John were a part of my family.
As the crowd finally settled down after the ovation, I
remember a guy in the crowd shouting out loud enough for even
the band to hear, “Bill never did it like that!”.
Everyone just laughed and nodded their head as if to say
“Amen!”
I can only
hope of the possibility of John reading this and allowing me to
relive that 20 year old memory by pulling out Good Woman’s
Love and performing it at this years Festival.
If not, I’m sure there will be a similar experience.
After seeing him perform over a dozen times, there is
always an instance or two that you’ll look at someone you’re
with and just shake your head in disbelief.
And at the small chance that John performs “Good
Woman’s Love”….I’ll be the guy in the crowd this time
standing up and shouting, “Bill never did it like that!”
Click
here to visit John Cowan's Site
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