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Ronnie Bowman

Ronnie Bowman

Recording Artist · Active 1994–2026 · Mount Airy, North Carolina — d. March 22, 2026 · ronniebowman.com · Also a musician
Contemporary Bluegrass

Ronnie Bowman was one of the most honored voices in contemporary bluegrass — a three-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year whose solo albums and Lonesome River Band recordings in the 1990s helped define the progressive-traditional bluegrass sound of that decade. In the 2000s and 2010s he became one of Nashville's most sought-after songwriters, writing #1 country hits for Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney, and Brooks & Dunn before his death in a motorcycle accident in March 2026.

  • Started singing in his family gospel band at age three; joined Virginia-based traditional group The Lost and Found in 1987.
  • Joined the Lonesome River Band in 1990 on bass and lead vocals alongside Dan Tyminski, Sammy Shelor, and Tim Austin (see separate entry). The 1991 album Carrying the Tradition won IBMA Album of the Year.
  • Recorded four LRB albums during his 1990–2001 tenure: Old Country Town (1990), Carrying the Tradition (1991), Finally (1999), and a previous Talkin' to Myself collection.
  • Solo debut Bowman (Sugar Hill, 1995) established him as a leading traditional-leaning vocalist.
  • Cold Virginia Night (Sugar Hill, 2000) won IBMA Album of the Year; the title track and “Three Rusty Nails” both won IBMA Song of the Year, with “Three Rusty Nails” also taking IBMA Gospel Performance of the Year.
  • Subsequent solo albums: The Man I'm Tryin' to Be (2001), Starting Over (2003, co-produced by Nashville's Don Cook), and Rural Rhythm (2008).
  • Won IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1998, 2000, and 2001; won IBMA Songwriter of the Year in 2022.
  • Nashville songwriting career: co-wrote Chris Stapleton's “Nobody to Blame” (ACM Song of the Year 2016, with Stapleton and Barry Bales), “Outlaw State of Mind,” and “More of You” on Traveller (2015), plus “It Takes a Woman” on Higher (2023).
  • #1 country singles from his pen: “It's Getting Better All the Time” (Brooks & Dunn, 2005) and “Never Wanted Nothing More” (Kenny Chesney, 2007). Other cuts include Lee Ann Womack's “The Healing Kind,” Ralph Stanley's “A Mother's Prayer,” Marcus King's “The Well,” plus songs for Jake Owen, Cody Johnson, and the Grascals.
  • Continued to perform with Band of Ruhks (with Don Rigsby and Kenny Smith), The Committee, and The Likely Culprits until his death.

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