When Jimmy Bowen started working on his new CD project with his band Santa Fe, his plan was to have included his former employer on the recording. Jimmy had spent seven years working with Charlie Waller & The Country Gentlemen in the late 1980s/early 90s, and had been looking forward to adding his high tenor to Charlie’s distinctive voice once again. When Charlie passed away in 2004, Bowen chose to dedicate the recording to his mentor and inspiration, and chose to keep several of the songs he had meant to record with Charlie on the list.
“Charlie was to have been on this album but we could never seem to line up a time that was feasible for both he and us to hook up in the studio together. Time can slip away from you if you’re not careful and that’s just what happened. So, we decided to keep a lot of the old Gentlemen stuff anyway and added some cross-over material (well they are now) like Lady, Looking for Love and an original tune or two. I always get requests to do Waltz of the Angels on our shows so this is one of the songs that I decided to keep on the recording – I think Charlie would approve of our version.”
After his years with The Gentlemen, Jimmy performed for a time with Continental Divide before forming his own group. This new project, Stone Fences, is his third release with Santa Fe. Rounding out the group is Rick Briggs (banjo& lead/harmony vocals), Daniel Dingeldein (guitar & lead/harmony vocals), David Tousley (upright bass) and Ron Lane (guitar). Ron Stewart guests on fiddle.
Bowen never forgets what he learned from Charlie Waller, or how beneficial his time with The Gentlemen has been to his career.
“It always amazes me just how many folks remember me from my years with Charlie. The man was like a father to me and he taught me so much about the realities of working the road and living together in a 45′ sardine can for days at a time. It takes a special kinship to be able to pull this off for an extended amount of time without killing each other.”
Audio samples from Stone Fences and online ordering are available on Jimmy’s web site.
