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Ronnie Bowman

Musician · 1961–2026 · Mount Airy, North Carolina · Also a recording artist
Best known for Bass Guitar Lead Vocals

Ronnie Bowman was a three-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year and one of the most successful bluegrass songwriters of the past 30 years — former lead singer and bassist of the Lonesome River Band, and a Nashville songwriter whose compositions were recorded by Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, and many others. His voice defined 1990s bluegrass. Bowman died unexpectedly in March 2026 following a motorcycle accident.

  • Born William Franklin “Ronnie” Bowman in Mount Airy, North Carolina — Andy Griffith's hometown.
  • Sang gospel music from age three in a family band with his parents and four sisters, playing churches in North Carolina and Virginia.
  • Joined the bluegrass band the Lost and Found in 1987; stayed two years.
  • Joined the Lonesome River Band in fall 1990, recruited by Tim Austin alongside banjoist Sammy Shelor. From 1990 to 2001, Bowman was the band's lead vocalist and bass player, partnered with Dan Tyminski. The Bowman/Tyminski vocal partnership defined the band's sound.
  • LRB's 1991 album Carrying the Tradition won IBMA Album of the Year. Cold Virginia Night (1994) featured guest appearances by Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, and Tony Rice.
  • Won IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year three times (1995, 1998, 1999).
  • Two-time IBMA Song of the Year winner: “Three Rusty Nails” and “Cold Virginia Night.” Won IBMA Gospel Performance of the Year for “Three Rusty Nails.”
  • Released solo albums including Starting Over (2003, Sugar Hill) — produced in part by Don Cook — and It's Getting Better All the Time (2006) with his group the Committee featuring Wyatt Rice and Andy Hall.
  • Co-wrote Chris Stapleton's 2016 ACM Song of the Year “Nobody to Blame” with Stapleton and Barry Bales, and “Outlaw State of Mind” with Stapleton and Jerry Salley. Both appeared on Stapleton's landmark Traveller.
  • Additional major country cuts included Kenny Chesney's #1 hit “Never Wanted Nothing More” (co-written with Stapleton), Brooks & Dunn's “It's Getting Better All the Time,” Lee Ann Womack's “The Healing Kind” on I Hope You Dance, and songs recorded by Jake Owen, Cody Johnson, and others.
  • Member of the Band of Ruhks with former LRB bandmates Don Rigsby and Kenny Smith.
  • Married session vocalist Garnet Imes, a frequent collaborator.
  • Died of injuries from a motorcycle accident at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville on March 22, 2026, at age 64. His death shocked the bluegrass and Nashville songwriting communities; tributes came from Dierks Bentley, Billy Strings, and many others.
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