Peter Rowan & Don Edwards

Artist's Website

Artist’s Website

Bluegrass luminary PETER ROWAN and premier cowboy singer DON EDWARDS team up with renowned musicians Tony Rice and Norman Blake for a unique collection of songs that explore the common roots of bluegrass and western music on High Lonesome Cowboy-From Appalachia to Abilene (WJRC/Shanachie). Though recorded in August of 2001, this innovative collaboration was first discussed when both artists were performing at West Fest, a Western music festival produced by Michael Martin Murphey over a decade ago. The grouping of bluegrass and Western music makes sense according to Edwards.
“The roots of the music are related,” says Edwards. “It came out of the mountains, came out West onto the range and around the campfires, and finally got recorded. The basic melodies of these songs stayed intact, but the vernacular changed.”
Both Rowan and Edwards are legends in their own-right, each defining his own genre of music. Grammy-nominated Peter Rowan was one of the major cult bluegrass artists of the ’80s, winning a devoted, international fan base through his independent records and constant touring. His legendary career took off in 1964 when he became a rhythm guitarist and lead singer with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. Throughout the next three decades, Rowan made his mark in bluegrass music through collaborations with artists such as siblings Chris and Lorin Rowan, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, John Kahn, Clarence White, Richard Greene, Flaco Jimenez and many more. Rowan currently tours with Old & In The Gray (formerly Old & In The Way) as well as other fellow musicians and as a solo act.
Songster, guitarist, and composer Don Edward’s career has spanned over three decades, enriching audiences world wide with his authentic western music and his knowledge of cowboy lore. In 1997, Don was presented his second prestigious Western Heritage Wrangler Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, as well as acting in his first major motion picture – Robert Redford’s ” The Horse Whisperer”.