James Bowers

Musician
Best known for Banjo

James Garfield “Gar” Bowers was a banjo player who was briefly one of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys at the end of 1951, playing on the session that produced “Christmas Time’s A-Coming.” In 1952 he recorded in North Carolina with the Church Brothers and their Blue Ridge Ramblers and with Joe Franklin’s Mimosa Boys.

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In the fall of 1951 Bowers filled in at several of Monroe’s shows, and on 28 October he played banjo at Castle Studio in Nashville when Monroe recorded Tex Logan’s “Christmas Time’s A-Coming” and his own “The First Whippoorwill,” with Edd Mayfield on guitar, Gordon Terry on fiddle and Shorty Sheehan on bass. Decca issued the two sides as a single on 26 November 1951. That same month Bowers replaced Joe Drumright in the band, and in January or February 1952 he and Terry gave way to Larry Richardson and Charlie Cline.

In May 1952 he played banjo with the Church Brothers, Bill and Ralph Church, at radio station WPAQ in Mount Airy, North Carolina, on “An Angel with Blue Eyes” and “When Jesus Calls Your Name,” issued on Blue Ridge 1208, and later that year at WKBC in North Wilkesboro on “Way Down in Ole’ Caroline.” Also in 1952 he played on Joe Franklin and his Mimosa Boys’ “It’s Time for America to Pray,” with Ralph Church on mandolin and Clarence “Tater” Tate on fiddle.

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