Bio: Thomas L. Bowman Sr.
Chased a skirt.
I can truthfully say I like all types of music and I have favorites in every genre. I'm currently on a Reggae kick. Terry Linen, Richie Spice, Garnett Silk, Third World, and a new band on the reggae scene, Live Wyya, and Robert Nesta of course.
Fenders mainly. My main three are a American Standard Telecaster, a Roadhouse Stratocaster, and a Telecaster HH. All are hot rodded. I can't leave anything alone. I'm always doing something to them... Well any equipment for that matter. My motto is, "Anything worth doing is worth over doing!"
I have a music history deeply rooted on both my father's and mother's side of the family. My Mother's maiden name was Smith. She was on of 11 sisters and three brothers born to Preston Smith brother of Hobart Smith and Texas Gladden.
The talents and influence of these three people is chronicled by Alan Lomax field recordings of rural Virginia.
Joan Baez was just one of many who used Texas Gladden as a source for songs.
Texas Gladden was born in 1895 in Saltville, a small town in the south-western corner of Virginia. She had a known repertoire of some two hundred songs, all of which she visualized during her performances. "I have a perfect mental picture of every song I sing. I have a perfect picture of every person I learned it from, very few people I don't remember. When I sing a song, a person pops up, and it's a very beautiful story. I can see Mary Hamilton, I can see where the old Queen came down to the kitchen, can see them all gathered around, and I can hear her tell Mary Hamilton to get ready. I can see the whole story, I can see them as they pass through the gate, I can see the ladies looking over their casements, I can see her when she goes up the Parliament steps, and I can see her when she goes to the gallows. I can hear her last words, and I can see all, just the most beautiful picture." This is a fascinating insight and reminds me of something that John Cohen once said about Walter Pardon, namely that Walter's life was 'encapsulated within the world of the ballads'. And the same, I think, may be said of Texas Gladden. Here was a singer whose life was infused with her songs and ballads.
In 1946 Alan Lomax invited the great ballad singer Texas Gladden, of Saltville, Virginia, and her brother, mountain Renaissance instrumentalist Hobart Smith (fiddle, guitar, banjo, and piano), to perform with Andrew Rowan Summers and Jean Ritchie at the McMillan Theater at Columbia University as part of a larger festival put on by the university. These concert recordings of the two are included here. Lomax interviewed Gladden and Smith extensively during their stay in New York and also introduced them to Moses Asch, who issued an album of four of their recordings on his Disc label (later Folkways), with powerful cover art by painter Ben Shahn. Gladden returned home to Saltville with the news that she had met Leadbelly. According to John Cohen, "Within a few years, Smith's guitar picking was heard in New York's Washington Square folk music scene, where "Railroad Bill" was especially imitated" (see Hobart Smith: Blue Ridge Legacy [Rounder 1799] and Texas Gladden: Ballad Legacy [Rounder 1800], with notes by John Cohen and Stephen Wade.)
Hobart began
playing the banjo when he was seven, later the guitar and the fiddle. His
repertoire of instruments also included piano, organ, harp, mandolin and most
any other stringed instrument.
Recording magnate,
folk and country music authority Alan Lomas of New York was the first to record
Hobart. Lomas called Smith "the best mountain instrumentalist that I've ever
found, and the forty-two recordings in the Library of Congress will always stand
as proof of that."
Later in his life,
Smith performed in two movies to be used in a cultural exchange program with
other countries. During his lifetime, Hobart Smith performed at Carnegie Hall,
Radio City Music Hall, Constitution Hall, Washington, D. C., Radio City Music
Hall and for Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also gave performances and seminars
at many colleges in the Eastern part of the United States.
Throughout his life
of entertainment, he performed with such well-known people as Peter, Paul and
Mary; Joan Baez; Judy Collins; Doc Watson; Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Music
critics across the country praised Smith's work as being "the best that they had
ever heart" (Chicago Daily News).
"One can learn so
much about the Southern Mountain instrumental style by listening to Smith's
banjo and fiddle...his singing is in a hard-cider rural voice, alive with
feeling" (New York Times).
Hobart once said,
"I grew up with music and I'm still trying to play". His last performance
One of the brothers, King Edward IV Smith, taught me a lot and got me started playing guitar. He recorded with a lot of old time Country artists. He was on Ernest Tubbs "I'll Step Aside" playing guitar. He played with Mac Wiseman for a few years. He was in the Bill Anderson band for awhile. He settled in Salem, Va. and became a DJ. He did break several hits and had a wall full of gold records for it. He had a band called the Knights. I spent several years in that band. That's where I learned to record the Nashville way. He was inducted into the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 1981, the year he died at the age of 49.
Before that I was in several Soul type R&B bands. The most successful was Little Ceasar & the Euterpeans. We're talking 60's and 70's Soul. We were one of the few bands in the upper East Tennessee area to play in all black clubs. They had two bands, one from 8:00pm to 12:00am and one from 12:30am to 4:30am. Sometimes we were both.
Dave Loggins of country music fame lived in Bristol, Va. He wanted to sing with the Euterpeans so we gave him and shot and politely turned him down, now he's in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I always thought he should have thanked me for that but he never did. My 15 seconds of fame came when he was writing Pieces of April. He was trying to come up with an ending that sounded Three Dog Nightish so I came up with one. He used it on his original recording and Three Dog Night used it on their cover of the tune.
We were lucky enough to have two regional hits that led to us opening for some Soul acts of the day. The Temptations, Pic and Bill, The Four Tops, The Box Tops, The Soul Survivors, and Clifford Curry. It was the most fun I have had musically. That's my roots. Soul. Rufus Thomas, Dyke and the Blazers, Wilson Pickett, the Godfather of Soul, Garnett Mims, Eddie Floyd, Pic and Bill, Joe Simon, Bobby Blue Bland, Johnny Guitar Watson, William Bell, on and on... the REAL soul and R&B.
That's an easy one! John R, way down south in Dixie. He played the REAL soul. Main stream radio would play Funky Broadway by Wilson Pickett. John R. played the original by Dyke and the Blazers. Main stream would play Knock on Wood Wilson Pickett style while John R would play the Eddie Floyd way. I couldn't get WLAC from Nashville until late at night so I would keep myself awake to catch John R! All these cool tunes that could not be found in Bristol. Tennessee.
Any place that will have me!
Locally... I like Soul Tight a lot. I love Ipso Facto's attitude. CBO may be the be rehearsed band, I really enjoy them. High and Mighty also! Very good. I have to say Austin Healy too, being a Southern man held captive in Minnesota.
I have discovered another local band called the Rule that I like quite a bit. Definitely check them out!
As far as big time bands, I don't know anymore. Steely Dan, Little River Band (LONG ago), Earth Wind and Fire, some Commodores, The Nevilles, Third World, Aswad, and I liked the Dixie Dregs, Wet Willie, Mose Jones, and ARS.
Mediterranean Cruise in Eagan! Well... Al Baker's in Eagan also. That's where I met my sweetie.
You have to remember where I'm from. Tennessee. If you ask people in Tennessee what their favorite football team is 99% will say some college team. It's SEC baby, the way football should be played.
Volunteers of Tennessee
For the pros... Atlanta Falcons.
At the Georgia Dome surrounded by infidels! Vikings won!
The Minnesota Twins. The greatest World Series of all time? Twins vs. Braves in '91.
Boxers.
My sweetie on the cliffs of Negril! Valentines day at Pee Wee's.
Lobster at Three Dives!
Jerk Chicken, Indika Band, Bobby Dread, and more at DeBuss. (Da-Buss now named Burbon Beach)
You never know who you'll run into! The picture on the right is Ryan Liestman from the Minneapolis band The Rule
Fish from Cosmos. Cosmos will pick up up within five miles of the restaurant. Well worth the cab fair if you have to pay!
The Hurricane Band at Roots Bamboo.
Fridays at Alfred's Ocean Palace featuring Stevie Culture and Errol Bonnick of Live Wyya is hard to beat. Talking about high energy... whew!
And of course every place has a Mom's
Oh yes... There is another place! I have never been there! ----- Hedonism II. Hedo has nothing you can't find on seven mile beach and it's a lot lot cheaper on the beach!
The Myths:
Only young singles go to Hedonism II.
People walk around naked everywhere.
Open sex is rampant.
Someone will try to steal your wife.
Every myth has its truths...but
Hedonism II is 60% couples and most guests are over 35.
Full nudity is only allowed on one side of the beach which is divided into Nude and Prude sections.
The hotel does not permit public sex.
As for your wife... well, that's her choice.
I have so many. This is a tough one. Going back as far as I can remember in chronological order:
One brother. I learned a hell of a lot from him about life and music. He died February 26th, 2005 at the damn too young age of 61. This man could party like no one you have ever met!
Remembering a brother: Edwin MacNider Bowman Jr.
Strictly the Best #36 Reggae Hits of 2007
Carl Gerbschmidt