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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2019)
10 Wednesday, September 4, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Legendary bluegrass musician returns to Sisters Folk Festival By Ceili Cornelius Correspondent Legendary bluegrass singer-songwriter, Peter Rowan is one of this year9s headliners at the 2019 Sisters Folk Festival. Rowan has a career span- ning over five decades, after falling in love with music at a young age. He has worked with a number of well-known artists and musicians over the years. His most influential early music memory comes from his uncle when he was just six years old. When his fam- ily would visit his World War II veteran uncle, they would pass the time in Hawaii play- ing music. He learned to play the ukulele with his uncle as his first musical instrument at six years old. Later, his best friend that lived down the street from him in Massachusetts where he grew up started playing and singing duets with him around their neighborhood. Around the time they were young boys, the image of Elvis was beginning to come on the mainstream media, young Rowan seeing flashes of performances and maga- zine covers as he walked the streets of his hometown near Boston. One day, Rowan and his friend saw an image of Elvis with a Martin D18 guitar over his shoulder, and Rowan thought that he wanted to have the same guitar. <After that is when I started pursuing guitar more and played in a rock 8n9 roll band called Cupids, with a six-string electric, while I was still in high school,= he said. During his youth he saw Joan Baez perform at Harvard Square and found the folk scene of the time. <I was hanging out with these folk and country bands when I was only 17 years old, and knew that it is what I wanted to do,= he said. After his stint in acadamia with three years of college, Rowan fell in love with the music of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. A few months later, with the help of banjo- player Bill Keith, he was invited to Nashville to audi- tion for Monroe. In 1963, he was hired as rhythm guitar- ist, lead vocalist and song- writer for Monroe9s band, The Bluegrass Boys. <He (Monroe) was such a leader and individual, and as a musician he paid attention to every detail and told you exactly how he wanted the music to be and its specific form,= said Rowan. One of Rowan9s favorite parts of his experience was learning about his own cre- ative powers at a young age while also learning the sci- ence behind music. <I had to find my own ground and creative mind in working with Bill Monroe; some of it was kind of a test all the time so I had to find myself and find my own voice as well,= said Rowan. Monroe is known for his classic bluegrass sound and autobiographical songs. Rowan and Monroe wrote a song together entitled, <The I had to find my own ground and creative mind in working with Bill Monroe; some of it was kind of a test all the time so I had to find myself and find my own voice as well. — Peter Rowan DINING & TAKE-OUT until midnight every night Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS 190 E. Cascade Ave. Whatever Y r … Dream Des na о Pack Y r Ba ! I ’ll plan y r ip a life me! Walls of Time.= <That song was about the idea of love beyond death and how bluegrass, contrary to popular belief can tell the story of tragic love,= said Rowan. <One thing I started to like about the Monroe style was that there was a lot more blues in it than other styles of bluegrass,= Rowan reflected. <It was darker. It had more of an edge to it. And yet it still had the ballad tradition in it, and I loved that.= After his experiences working with Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys into his 20s, Rowan had a wan- derlust to travel across the country. During his travels, he was exposed to various styles of music and other musicians. His travels landed him in various parts of the coun- try, including in the South, where he met and worked Dr. Janet Kenyon Audiologist for over 30 years Custom-built hearing aids Complete In-Canal Receiver In-Canal Behind-The-Ear In-house cleaning, repairs & service Premium hearing aids, aff ordably priced All insurance plans accepted 541-317-1265 1625 NE 2nd St. | Bend Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m. www.kenyonaudiology.com …Or Preferred Method Travel RECENTLY PLANNED CUSTOMIZED ITINERARIES: • Alaska and Baja Small Ship Cruising • African Safaris • Galapagos Islands • Hiking In Scotland & the Dolomites (Italian Alps) 30 Years Worldwide Travel Experience Luxury, Adventure & Cruise Specialist Concierge-Level Services, Pocket Travel Apps. SUSAN WAYMIRE CTC, TRAVELSTORE 541-719-8997 | Susan.W@travelstore.com with a number of projects. As stated by his website: <The late 960s and early 970s saw Rowan involved in a number of rock, folk and bluegrass projects, including Earth Opera, Sea Train, Muleskinner, and the Rowans, where he played alongside his brothers Chris and Lorin Rowan. After the Rowan brothers disbanded, Peter, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements and John Kahn formed a blue- grass band christened Old & In the Way.= Rowan was working with the Grateful Dead9s Jerry Garcia in 1973 in the band Old & In the Way. The band was known for their blue- grass covers of Rowan9s <Panama Red= and Rolling Stones9 <Wild Horses,= over the years performing gigs around the country and open- ing for other bands. <I had done a lot of stuff leading up to the work with Garcia so I had a lot of stuff recorded and ready for use on my own. So, working with Garcia and the rest of the bands was just another way to learn better musician- ship and have more experi- ences out in the world,= he said. Now his musical journey has led him back to Sisters next weekend. Tickets and day passes are still available at www. sistersfolkfestival.org. Tasty THURSDAY Willamette Valley September 5, 5 to 7 p.m. LIVE MUSIC Saturday, Sept. 7, 5:30-7 p.m. Meg g Rose Ellsworth Megan 391 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-2675 corkcellarswinebistro.com