* En anglais uniquement
Singer/songwriter
Kevin Bowe was raised in rural Minnesota. As a young performer, the half-Irish half-Serb musician played in a host of Midwestern bands, including the Revelators, who released a CD of
Bowe's songs called Blackie Ford's Revenge. The album created a buzz among publishers and producers and
Bowe signed a deal with Bug Music. The
Bowe composition "Riverside" ended up on blues-rocker
Kenny Wayne Shepherd's popular debut album
Ledbetter Heights. Subsequently, he signed with legendary songwriters Leiber & Stoller. Becoming widely known among producers for his Americana, roots-oriented writing, he placed a song on
Jonny Lang's platinum-selling 1997 debut
Lie to Me.
Bowe has also co-written with the likes of
Leo Kottke,
Peter Case,
Dan Wilson (of
Semisonic),
Robert Earl Keen,
Chuck Prophet,
Peter Himmelman,
Duane Jarvis, and
Colin James. In addition, he has played guitar on many major-label versions of his songs.
Bowe also leads his band
Kevin Bowe & the Okemah Prophets, who are based out of Minneapolis. After a period of writing and solo performing,
Bowe put the group together to record demos and showcase songs at the popular industry fete South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Pleased with the collaboration,
Bowe and his group continued playing shows together and set out to record a CD, 2000's Restoration. The band, which is influenced by folks such as
Steve Earle,
the Replacements, and
the Byrds, consists of
Andy Dee (formerly of Molly & the Heymakers), who co-produced the debut and played lap steel, six-string bass, electric sitar, and electric guitar. Other
Prophets include John Wright, Bongo, and Marv Gohman (who had formerly played with
the Rembrandts). ~ Erik Hage