Ronnie Bowman, quite literally the bluegrass voice of his generation, was very seriously injured in a vehicular accident yesterday, and is hospitalized in Nashville.
We understand that he is experiencing a number of serious brain bleeds among multiple injuries, and is in critical condition on life support. There are unconfirmed reports that he has been removed from life support, and that his passing is believed to be imminent.
The bluegrass world has celebrated Ronnie as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist since he first emerged with Lonesome River Band in the early 1990s. Their landmark album, Carrying The Tradition, introduced Bowman to the larger bluegrass world, though he had been active performing for several years in North Carolina and Virginia, starting in his teens. Prior to joining LRB on bass, he had served as guitarist with Lost and Found from 1988 to 1990, when he teamed up with Tim Austin, Sammy Shelor, and Dan Tyminski in Lonesome River Band.
He recorded four standout projects with LRB, including many songs he had written, as well as his own Cold Virginia Night album.
After leaving the band, Ronnie moved to the Nashville area and continued writing, contributing a number of songs to major country artists. Notable cuts include The Healing Kind by Lee Ann Womack and It’s Getting Better All The Time by Brooks & Dunn.
He has continued to record solo projects, most recently a self-titled record in 2019.
We will continue to update this post as additional details are available.
It sounds as though his fate is in the hands of God, so prayer may be our most potent weapon and best resort.
UPDATE – Ronnie has passed.
