American singer-songwriter
Kevin Bowe
Born (1961-02-27 ) February 27, 1961 (age 63) Origin Minneapolis , Minnesota, U.S.Genres Alternative rock , roots rock , blues Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer Instrument Guitar Years active 1979–present
Musical artist
Kevin Bowe (born February 27, 1961) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Minneapolis . He is best known for his work with prominent rock and blues artists including Paul Westerberg [ 1] and the Replacements ;[ 2] writing songs for hit albums by Jonny Lang [ 3] [ 4] and Kenny Wayne Shepherd ;[ 5] as well as Etta James ' Grammy-winning Let's Roll .[ 6] He has contributed to dozens of albums over his career,[ 7] including several of his own as a bandleader; he has appeared on many film and television soundtracks[ 8] including ESPN [ 9] and The Sopranos .[ 10] His songs have been covered by many prominent rock and blues artists, including Joe Cocker , Lynyrd Skynyrd , Robben Ford , and John Mayall .
After growing up in rural Minnesota, Bowe became part of the burgeoning rock scene in early 1980s Minneapolis which spawned Hüsker Dü and The Replacements,[ 11] fronting alternative rock and Americana bands including The Dads,[ 12] Summer of Love,[ 13] and The Revelators.[ 14] His career began when his Revelators song "Riverside" was covered by Kenny Wayne Shepherd on his platinum-selling album Ledbetter Heights [ 5] leading to a songwriting contract with rock legends Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1997.[ 15] Bowe discovered blues guitarist Jonny Lang, then still a teenager, at a blues jam in Fargo, North Dakota .[ 16] He contributed songs for Lang's breakthrough hit albums Lie To Me in 1997[ 3] and the Grammy -nominated Wander This World in 1998.[ 4] The next year, Bowe made his debut as a producer with another teenage blues guitarist, Shannon Curfman 's Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions .[ 17]
Bowe's most famous work has been as a songwriter for other artists. He co-wrote four songs on Etta James’ 2003 Grammy-winning album Let's Roll ,[ 18] including "The Blues Is My Business," which was later covered by E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt on his solo record Soulfire .[ 19] Other notable songs include "Sault Ste. Marie", covered by Three Dog Night[ 20] as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Dead Man Walkin'" (co-written with the band) on the 2003 album Vicious Cycle .[ 21] [ 22]
Bowe has a longstanding friendship and working relationship with Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, having begun as contemporaries starting out in the Minneapolis music scene.[ 23] Bowe's band The Dads were the headliners at the earliest known recorded live performance of the Replacements, at Minneapolis club Jay's Longhorn Bar in July 1980.[ 24] He played guitar in Westerberg's solo touring band His Only Friends in the early 2000s,[ 1] [ 2] [ 12] [ 25] and joined the Replacements in 2012 to record the six-song EP Songs for Slim .[ 26] The band also recorded at Bowe's home studio around that time, though none of the material from those sessions has yet been released.[ 27]
Besides Westerberg, Bowe (often with his band Okemah Prophets) has also frequently been a touring or live backing musician for Freedy Johnston [ 28] and the Jayhawks ' Gary Louris .[ 29] Bowe has produced records by several notable Minneapolis bands, including indie-folk band Communist Daughter 's 2016 album, The Cracks That Built the Wall, [ 30] [ 31] [ 32] and punk group Suicide Commandos ' comeback album Time Bomb .[ 33] [ 34]
Bowe has released five albums with his roots-rock band the Okemah Prophets, most recently Every Part of the Buffalo . 2012's Natchez Trace included a song co-written with Westerberg, "Everybody Lies,"[ 23] and guest performances by Westerberg, the Meat Puppets , Wilco guitarist Nels Cline ; Communist Daughter's Johnny Solomon and Molly Moore; Jayhawks drummer Tim O'Reagan, Freedy Johnston, Chuck Prophet , Phil Solem of the Rembrandts , and Bob Dylan violinist Scarlet Rivera [ 35] [ 28] [ 36] The band is named after folk singer Woody Guthrie 's birthplace, Okemah, Oklahoma .[ 37] The band has received critical praise for Bowe's songwriting, which No Depression magazine says is "criminally catchy."[ 38]
Bowe also taught music and audio production at Minneapolis' Institute of Production & Recording.[ 30] His wife, Ruth Whitney Bowe started Fine Line Music Cafe, a Minneapolis nightclub in 1987 and owned it until 1990.[ 39] The couple began dating shortly after Bowe performed at the club around the time of its opening.[ 9] Prince asked her later to help him open another club in downtown Minneapolis, Glam Slam.[ 40] [ 41]
Selected discography [ edit ]
Kevin Bowe and the Okemah Prophets :[ 42]
Every Part of the Buffalo (2018, Okemah Records)
Natchez Trace (2012, Okemah Records)
Angels on the Freeway (2003, Corazong Records)
Love Songs & Murder Ballads (2001, Okemah Records)
Restoration (2000, Orchard)
The Revelators :
Blackie Ford's Revenge (1994, Sun House Records)[ 14]
As writer, producer or backing musician[ edit ]
1995: Kenny Wayne Shepherd , Ledbetter Heights (writer)[ 5]
1997: Jonny Lang , Lie To Me (writer)[ 43]
1998: Jonny Lang , Wander This World (writer)[ 44]
1999: Shannon Curfman , Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions (writer, producer)[ 45]
2000: Peter Case , Flying Saucer Blues (writer)[ 46]
2000: Where the Heart Is (Original Soundtrack) (writer)[ 47]
2001: John Mayall , Along for the Ride (writer)[ 48]
2002: Ana Popović , Hush' (writer)[ 49]
2001: The Proclaimers , Persevere (guitarist)[ 50]
2002: Three Dog Night , Three Dog Night With the London Symphony Orchestra (writer)[ 20]
2002: Robben Ford , Blue Moon (writer)[ 51]
2003: Etta James , Let's Roll (writer)[ 6]
2003: Lynyrd Skynyrd , Vicious Cycle (writer)
2004: Warren Brothers , Well Deserved Obscurity (writer)[ 52]
2005: Tommy Castro , Soul Shaker (writer, producer)[ 53]
2006: Paul Westerberg , Open Season (producer)[ 54]
2006: John Brannen , Twilight Tattoo (writer)[ 55]
2007: Tommy Castro , Painkiller (writer)[ 56]
2009: Meat Puppets , Sewn Together (mixer, guitarist, dulcimer, percussion)[ 57]
2012: Communist Daughter , Lions And Lambs (producer)
2012: Joe Cocker , Fire It Up (writer)[ 58]
2012: The Replacements , Songs for Slim (guitarist)
2014: Tommy Castro , The Devil You Know (writer)[ 59]
2014: Mark Boone Jr. , Bang Bang (producer, guitarist)[ 60]
2015: Communist Daughter , Sing Sad Christmas (producer)
2015: Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Method to My Madness (writer)[ 61]
2016: Communist Daughter , The Cracks That Built The Wall (producer)
2016: Ana Popović , Trilogy (writer)[ 62]
2017: Steve Van Zandt , Soulfire (writer)[ 63]
2017: Suicide Commandos , Time Bomb (producer)[ 33] [ 64]
^ a b MacDonald, Patrick (February 18, 2005). "Are you a friend of Paul Westerberg?" . The Seattle Times . Seattle. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2018 .
^ a b Jim Walsh (November 30, 2009). The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History . Voyageur Press. pp. 269–. ISBN 978-1-61673-978-2 . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018.
^ a b Jonny Lang – Lie To Me at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ a b Jonny Lang – Wander This World at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ a b c Owens, Thom. Ledbetter Heights at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ a b Henderson, Alex. Etta James – Let's Roll at AllMusic . Retrieved 14 July 2018.
^ Kevin Bowe – Credits at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ John Bowe; Marisa Bowe; Sabin Streeter (February 4, 2009). Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs . Crown/Archetype. pp. 327–. ISBN 978-0-307-56576-1 . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018.
^ a b Bruch, Michelle (October 29, 2012). "An album of his own" . Southwest Journal . Minneapolis. Retrieved July 1, 2018 .
^ "Jazz on the Screen Filmography: The Sopranos" . Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018 .
^ Hage, Erik. Kevin Bowe at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ a b Bob Mehr (March 1, 2016). Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements . Da Capo Press. pp. 51–52, 114, 425. ISBN 978-0-306-82203-2 . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018.
^ Enthal, Andrea (December 1985). "Underground" . Spin . 1 (8): 34–35. Retrieved May 16, 2018 .
^ a b The Revelators – Blackie Ford's Revenge at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 16, 1997. pp. 38–.
^ Paul Metsa (2011). Blue Guitar Highway . University of Minnesota Press. pp. 147 . ISBN 978-0-8166-7642-2 .
^ Shannon Curfman – Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Bream, Jon (February 14, 2016), "What's a Grammy worth? Minnesota winners sound off on music's biggest award" , Star Tribune , archived from the original on July 14, 2018, retrieved May 16, 2018
^ Kaufman, Gil (May 12, 2017). "Little Steven Talks First Album in Two Decades, 'Soulfire,' Listen to 'Blues Is My Business' " . Billboard . Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018 .
^ a b Sault Ste. Marie at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Randy Poe (November 16, 2005). The New Songwriter's Guide to Music Publishing . Writer's Digest Books. pp. 13–. ISBN 1-59963-330-2 .
^ Lynyrd Skynyrd - Dead Man Walkin' at AllMusic . Retrieved 3 July 2018.
^ a b " 'Everybody Lies' by Kevin Bowe Featuring Paul Westerberg" . Rolling Stone . September 28, 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2018 .
^ "Replacements Live Archive Project: July 17, 1980, Longhorn Bar, Minneapolis, MN" . March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018 .
^ Tannenbaum, Rob (October 3, 2012). "The Replacements Reunite for Covers EP" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
^ "The Replacements Complete Lineup With Josh Freese, Dave Minehan" . Billboard . August 17, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
^ Gensler, Andy (April 24, 2015). "The Replacements Back on Track: Recording New Music, Vinyl Box Sets, Documentary Planned" . Billboard . Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
^ a b Roberts, Chris (June 8, 2012). "Rocker Kevin Bowe writes for himself on 'Natchez Trace' " . MPR News . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018 .
^ Riemenschneider, Chris (April 29, 2013). "Filling in, Gary Louris fits right in at Dakota debut" . Star Tribune . Retrieved May 30, 2018 . [permanent dead link ]
^ a b Morgan, Richard (November 10, 2016). "How a Minneapolis producer coaxed Communist Daughter into recording one of the year's best albums" . Star Tribune . Minneapolis. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
^ Danton, Eric R. (October 28, 2016). "Communist Daughter: The Cracks That Built the Wall Review" . Paste Magazine . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018 .
^ Geslanion, Michelle (September 27, 2016). "Communist Daughter struggle to 'Hold Back' their emotions on new song" . Consequence of Sound . Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018 .
^ a b Raihala, Ross (May 4, 2017), "After nearly 40 years, Suicide Commandos release a second album" , St. Paul Pioneer Press , archived from the original on May 11, 2017, retrieved May 16, 2018
^ Time Bomb (PDF) (Liner notes). Suicide Commandos . Minneapolis: Twin/Tone . 2017. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2017.{{cite AV media notes }}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link )
^ Raihala, Ross (June 6, 2012), "Five years in the making, 'Natchez Trace' gives Kevin Bowe his own spotlight" , St. Paul Pioneer Press , retrieved May 16, 2018
^ Walsh, Jim (June 8, 2012). "Minneapolis musician/songwriter Kevin Bowe's got his own album to do" . MinnPost . Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2018 .
^ Davis, Sandi (July 6, 2001). "Woody Guthrie Festival Folk music returns to Okemah this weekend" . The Oklahoman . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018 .
^ "Kevin Bowe & The Okemah Prophets – Restoration (Review)" . No Depression . February 29, 2000. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018 .
^ Riemenschneider, Chris (July 30, 2013). "Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis sold to Aqua nightclub owners" . Star Tribune . Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
^ "Glam Slam" . Rochester Post-Bulletin . Rochester, Minnesota. October 20, 1990. Retrieved July 14, 2018 .
^ Ronin Ro (October 25, 2011). Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks . St. Martin's Press. pp. 204–. ISBN 978-0-312-38300-8 . Archived from the original on July 14, 2018.
^ Kevin Bowe – Discography at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Lie To Me at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Wander This World at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Peter Case – Flying Saucer Blues at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Where the Heart Is (Original Soundtrack) at AllMusic . Retrieved 13 July 2018.
^ John Mayall – Along For the Ride at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Ana Popovic – Hush at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Azpiri, Jon. The Procl;aimers – Persevere at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Robben Ford – Blue Moon at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Warren Brothers – Well Deserved Obscurity at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Tommy Castro – Soul Shaker at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Open Season (Original Soundtrack) at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ John Brannen – Twilight Tattoo at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Tommy Castro – Painkiller at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Meat Puppets – Sewn Together at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Joe Cocker – Fire It Up at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Tommy Castro – The Devil You Know at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Mark Boone Jr. – Bang Bang at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Tommy Castro & The Painkillers – Method to mMy Madness at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Ana Popovic – Trilogy at AllMusic . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Kaufman, Gil (May 12, 2017), "Little Steven Talks First Album in Two Decades, 'Soulfire,' Listen to 'Blues Is My Business' " , Billboard , archived from the original on October 21, 2017, retrieved June 29, 2018
^ Time Bomb (PDF) (Liner notes). Suicide Commandos . Minneapolis: Twin/Tone . 2017. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2017.{{cite AV media notes }}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link )
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