Don Bowman (August 26, 1937 – June 5, 2013) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer, songwriter, comedian, and radio host. He recorded for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

between 1964 and 1970, charting in the Top 40 with the novelty hit single "Chit Akins, Make Me a Star". Bowman also worked at several radio stations, including KRZK in Branson, Missouri. At this time, he was also opening the show for Moe Bandy doing Seymore Miles. Bowman also worked at KDEO San Diego, KEWB Oakland, KDWB St. Paul, and KBBQ Burbank. He developed a fictional character for his radio shows named Gruesome Goodbody. In 1961 he had a country hit "Coward at the Alamo." Bowman was born in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, and was the original host of the radio show '' American Country Countdown''. He hosted the show from its inception on October 6, 1973, through April 1978, after which Bob Kingsley (who had been ACC's producer since 1974) took over as host. Also, Bowman filled in for Casey Kasem on the June 16, 1973 episode of ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

''. In 1966, Bowman won Favorite Country Comedy Recording of the Year award from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

.'' In 1967, he was named Comedian of the Year by the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

. Bowman's song "

Wildwood Weed "Wildwood Weed" is a 1964 country-western parody song written by Don Bowman. It was the first track on Side 1 of Bowman's debut LP, ''Our Man in Trouble..."It Only Hurts When I Laugh"'' (RCA Victor catalog numbers LSP-2831 (stereo) and LPM-2831 ...

" later became a hit for

Jim Stafford James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", "My Girl Bill", and "Wildwoo ...

, peaking at #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1974. Bowman died of liver and pancreatic cancer on June 5, 2013, at the age of 75. He was survived by his two children, Jackie and Casey Bowman.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Don 1937 births 2013 deaths American country singer-songwriters American radio personalities Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Lubbock, Texas RCA Victor artists Singer-songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas Deaths from cancer in Missouri