The Rowans, also known as The Rowan Brothers, are an American

country-rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

group, originally formed by the brothers Chris Rowan and Lorin Rowan. They were joined by another brother,

Peter Rowan Peter Rowan (born July 4, 1942) is an American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings. Biography Rowan was born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family. From an early age, he had an interes ...

, for their second, third and fourth album. Chris and Lorin were still playing together in 2019 at the Trident in Sausalito, CA.

Early years

Chris and Lorin were raised close to Boston, but in the beginning of 1970, they moved to the West Coast to pursue their music. In 1971, they opened for

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

as their first gig in San Francisco. Their first album, ''The Rowan Brothers'', was issued on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. It was very well critically acclaimed, except by

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music c ...

who savaged the LP in a ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential criti ...

'' magazine review. The album included such guests as

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

and

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued ...

of Grateful Dead and was co-produced by

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

. Part of a 1971 rehearsal by the Rowan Brothers at the

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...

auditorium is included in the documentary film '' Fillmore''.

Trio with Peter Rowan

The group had problems after the first record because their benefactor,

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

, lost his job at Columbia. They were signed to Asylum Records as The Rowans and issued their next album in 1975, this time joined by their more famous brother, Peter Rowan, who brought in such hits as "Midnight Moonlight" and "Thunder on the Mountain". After releasing three albums as a trio, Peter left the group to pursue bluegrass music.

Duo again

Chris and Lorin have continued playing as a duo, with Peter joining them from time to time. Their project, ''Now and Then'', was issued in 2004 on BOS Music.Press release from their official website, September 2004
/ref> They also play regularly with

David Gans David Gans ( he, דָּוִד בֶּן שְׁלֹמֹה גנז; ‎1541–1613), also known as Rabbi Dovid Solomon Ganz, was a Jewish chronicler, mathematician, historian, astronomer and astrologer. He is the author of "Tzemach David" (1592 ...

in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

tribute band

Rubber Souldiers Rubber Souldiers is a Beatles jam band consisting of David Gans (musician), David Gans, The Rowans, Chris Rowan and The Rowans, Lorin Rowan.McMahon, Regan (May 24, 2009)"Rubber Souldiers Picks Up Where Beatles Left Off" ''San Francisco Chronicle'' ...

. In 2002, Chris and Lorin added harmonies on 9 cuts of Bay Area country rocker J.C. Flyer's album, Movin' On.

Discography

Chris and Lorin

* ''

The Rowan Brothers ''The Rowan Brothers'' is the eponymous debut studio album by the country rock duo The Rowan Brothers. Track listing # "Hickory Day" # "All Together" # "Best You Can" # "One More Time" # "Lay Me Down" # "Wizard" # "Mama Don't You Cry" # "Gold" ...

'' (1972) * '' Livin' the Life'' (1980) * '' Now and Then'' (2004)

Chris, Lorin and Peter

* ''

The Rowans The Rowans, also known as The Rowan Brothers, are an American country-rock group, originally formed by the brothers Chris Rowan and Lorin Rowan. They were joined by another brother, Peter Rowan, for their second, third and fourth album. Chris and ...

'' (1975) * ''

Sibling Rivalry Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not. Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents. The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced ...

'' (1976) * ''

Jubilation Jubilation may refer to: * Jubilation!, a parade at Tokyo Disneyland * ''Jubilation'' (The Band album), 1998 * ''Jubilation'' (Randy Johnston album), 1994 * ''Jubilation'' (The Rowans album), 1977 * ''Jubilation'', a musical composition by Rich ...

'' (1977) * ''

Crazy People ''Crazy People'' is a 1990 American black comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah, directed by Tony Bill, and music by Cliff Eidelman. Plot Emory Leeson is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a seri ...

'' (2002)

Peter Rowan & The Rowan Brothers

* '' Tree on a Hill'' (1993)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowans Living people Musical groups from Boston Sibling musical trios American country rock groups Progressive bluegrass music groups American folk rock groups Year of birth missing (living people)