David Bowling, Kentucky bluegrass musician and businessman, was badly injured in an auto accident over the weekend.
Many will remember seeing him playing bass with Larry Sparks and Melvin Goins back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. David worked for some time for Southern Wine and Spirits, and retired after 35 years with the company. Since retiring, he has taken on management of bluegrass bands, working currently with both Fast Track and the Chris David Band.
We don’t have a lot of details about his accident, driving alone to a benefit concert on Saturday, March 28. A police report is expected in about a week or so. Bowling is in a very precarious position, hospitalized in Lexington, KY at the University of Kentucky hospital ICU.
Chris Davis shared how much he appreciates David in a brief comment.
“David is a deacon at his local church and a radio DJ in Paintsville, KY. He is a father, husband, and an all around great human.”
Nikki and Quin Bowling, David’s wife and daughter, put together this overview of his participation in the bluegrass world throughout his life.
“David’s love for bluegrass began at an early age. At just seven years old, he started playing upright bass by secretly practicing in his room. One day, while his father, Clyde Bowling was rehearsing with his band, Clyde Bowling and the Bluegrass Boys, he said, ‘Let me play with you all’—and the rest is history.
By junior high, he was performing with Bill Monroe and touring with him during the summers, helping shape a lifelong passion for the genre. At 17, he moved to Nashville to play with James Monroe, and later went on to perform with Larry Sparks.
He spent more than 20 years playing with Melvin Goins in Melvin Goins and Windy Mountain, marking one of the most significant chapters of his career. The proudest moment of his career was performing at the Grand Ole Opry with Bill Monroe.
Bluegrass has always been deeply rooted in his family. In 1981, his father founded Bluegrass in the Highlands, a radio show dedicated to preserving the sound of eastern Kentucky. He later became a co-host, carrying on a legacy of keeping the heart and soul of bluegrass alive in the mountains of Appalachia. What began as live music eventually grew into a beloved program featuring interviews and recorded bluegrass. Before his passing, his father asked him to continue the show, and he has honored that request ever since.
Outside of music, he built a long and successful career. He worked with the American Tobacco Company and began working for Crane Distributing in 1981, which later became Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. He spent 35 years there and retired as an Area Manager.
Since retiring, he has faced several health challenges. On Saturday, March 28th, David was involved in a serious car accident. He sustained multiple rib fractures and a lumbar spine fracture and is currently in the trauma ICU at UK. Continued thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.”
Nikki further shared that David’s condition is listed as acuity level 3 critical, and that he goes in and out of consciousness, one moment seemingly improving, and the next seeing his vitals crash.
Please do pray as his situation is quite dire.
