Peter Rowan

Peter Rowan, a Grammy-award-winning bluegrass musician, is a singer/songwriter who plays the guitar and mandolin. From Massachusetts, Peter often visited The Hillbilly Ranch—a Boston nightclub during his youth. This country music nightclub featured acts considered old-time in the 1950s, such as Tex Logan and the Lilly Brothers.

From a musical family, Peter listened, learned, perfected his skills, and like many others before and after, formed a band while in high school. Unlike most aspiring high school musicians, this was the start of an amazing career.

By 1963, Peter was a professional musician, performing as a rhythm guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Bluegrass Boys — a band led by Bill Monroe. Later, Peter joined David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, and John Kahn to form a bluegrass band called Old & In the Way. Around the same time, Peter wrote “Panama Red,” which became a hit for the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

All this occurred during the first 10 to 20 years in a career that has spanned 50. He and his brothers formed a bluegrass band called The Rowans and have released several highly regarded albums over the years. Peter’s solo albums include The First Whippoorwill, New Moon Rising, and All on a Rising Day.

Peter has had a strong solo career, performing in the U.S. and abroad, and collaborated with Tony Rice, Don Edwards, and Norman Blake. For decades, Peter has performed frequently in one of several bands: Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Peter Rowan’s Big Twang Theory, Peter Rowan’s Twang and Groove, Peter Rowan & Crucial Reggae, and The Free Mexican Air Force. In 2022 he released his most recent album, Calling You from My Mountain, featuring guests Shaun Camp, Billy Stings, Molly Tuttle, and Lindsay Lou.

In addition to Panama Red, Peter can claim writing credits for scores of songs, including "Midnight Moonlight," and "Land of the Navajo," For more than 50 years, some of the best bluegrass musicians have wanted to collaborate and perform with Peter Rowan because he is simply an outstanding singer/songwriter and musician. Audiences still flock to hear him for the same reason.