Peter Rowan at the August 2017 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker
If you’ve visited the Peter Rowan web site recently, you’ll notice that all the dates he has booked for the early part of 2018 are marked as cancelled.
Concerned about his health, we contacted his representative and were told that indeed, Peter is not well, though they did not want to divulge the exact nature of his condition. Fortunately, they did indicate that he is expected to recover soon and be back on the road later this year. That is terrific news from the 75 year old artist, singer, and songwriter who says through his agency, “I hate to disappoint my fans but my health precludes my travel for performances right now. Thank you for your kind thoughts.”
Rowan came into the music as a member of Bill Monroe’s group in 1964, playing guitar and singing alongside the Father of Bluegrass. By the end of the decade he was involved in two of the most highly influential new grass bands of the era, Muleskinner, with Clarence White, David Grisman and Bill Keith, and Old & In The Way with Jerry Garcia and Vassar Clements.
Since that time he has continued to record albums featuring his own songs, which have ranged from uber-traditional bluegrass to his most recent project, My Aloha, a collection of compositions blending bluegrass and Americana with the folk music of Hawaii. Along the way he has been involved in reggae, rockabilly, and alt-country, and performing alongside legends like Tony Rice. Pete has also been touring with a bluegrass outfit called the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, and with The Travelin’ McCourys.
Let’s all hope to hear that he is on the mend and appearing on stage again soon.
