Musical Influences...Let's start with God. I don't pretend to be a saint, but He's the reason I'm able to sing and play at all as a matter of fact. Be it a dark song or a light song. A song of stumbling or a tune of redemption. A few years ago I traded in my guns and gear for a guitar and a microphone. Something else influenced me and now this is the plan and the road I will travel. Who inspires me down this road? I have a few singers, a few songwriters and instructors to mention. I'm under the influences of: Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Willaims Jr, Chips Moman, Kris Kristopherson, Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Tom Russell, Billy Joe Shaver, John Prine, Jim Croce, Johnny Paycheck, Jimmy Buffet, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Chris Ledoux, Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt, Bob Wills, Hank Thomspson, Toby Keith, Hoyt Axton, David Allan Coe, Hanks Williams III, Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed, Gene Watson, Keith Whitley, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Kevin Fowler, Bruce Robison, Gary P. Nunn, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle, Ray Charles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman Brothers, The Steve Miller Band and my SPC music professors - John Hartin, Joe Carr, Mike Carraway, Scott Faris, Jay Lemon, Ed Marsh, Tim McCasland, Steve Williams, Matt Quick, Lesa Wood, Mickey Vasques....I gotta be leaving some out, the list is long yet distinguished./////////
Favorite authors: John Fante, Charles "Hank" Bukowski, Carson McCullers, Larry McMurtry, John Steinbeck, Louis L'Amour, William Least Heatmoon, Kinky Friedman//////////
Favorite Songs: "Modern Day Drifter" (Dierks Bentley), "Final Attaction" (Kris Kristopherson), "Ramblin' Fever" (Merle Haggard), "On The Road Again" (Willie Nelson), "The Ride" (David Allan Coe), "Ramblin Man" (Hank Williams), "I've Always Been Crazy" (Waylon Jennings), "I Got A Name" (Jim Croce) seem to speak the most to me in this life I live./////////
My Favorite listen when I'm on the road: The Tom Russell CD, 'Hot Walker'
Matt Bowlin is a musical nomad in pursuit of a dream. After serving six years in the Armed Forces (U.S.M.C), Matt left a promising career in the military to gamble on a different roll, one in the music business.
"I started writing lyrics about a year before my second enlistment was up," Matt explained, "Until then, it was an undiscovered God given gift and I figured I'd better do something with it. I wanted to learn to play the guitar, study voice, learn to perform and I remembered a college where you could learn to do just that.”
Arriving in west Texas, Matt enrolled in the commercial music program at South Plains College in Levelland. The college commercial music program is credited with alumnus such as, LeAnne Womack, Heath Wright (Richochet), Jedd Hughes, Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks), and many more. As a student, Matt performed with S.P.C.’s ‘Thursday Nite Live’, one of the college’s most prestigious audition ensembles. Later, Matt broadened his performing style, trying his hand at Western Swing and was awarded S.P.C.'s 2004-2005 male vocalist of the year in country/western swing.
Influenced by a steady diet of country music by the late Waylon Jennings, American Icon, Willie Nelson, Texas balladeer George Strait and a hint of the innovative Jim Croce, Matt’s booming baritone voice fuses the sounds of traditional country, western swing and southern rock. Bowlin’s versatility allows him to cover a range of classics, as well as his own songs.
"I started singing more of my originals after a foot-stomping experience in Luckenbach, Texas, a town made famous by the 1977 number one hit," Matt explains, "The bartender talked me into picking up the house guitar and singing a tune. It's like a tradition down there to pass around the house guitar. Everyone plays." The song Matt sang, "Honky Tonk Fate" (an original), revved up tourists and locals alike. "In a music mecca like Luckenbach, it was amazing to have people clapping, stomping, playing guitars and singing along on the chorus. It was a rush, Matt says." I was thrilled they were into the song. It was about the best compliment I could have received."
Since his experiences in Luckenbach and Levelland, Matt has continued to write and perform his music in traveling bands. He has been on the road consistently since the spring of 2006, performing in Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee. He was a district finalist for Nashville Star in 2006, opened shows for Flynnville Train (ShowDogRecords) and Cody McCarver (PLC Records) in 2007, and legendary greats, B.J. Thomas and Billy Joe Royal.
“Opening a show like that was the privilege of a life time,” Bowlin said. Chips Moman handed him that opportunity after hearing Matt sing a few duets with another singer at the 2007 National Cornbread Festival. “We were having fun with some oldies and Chips happened to be there,” Bowlin recalled. “He asked Garrett Myles and I if we’d like to come down to La Grange and open for B.J. and Billy Joe with the Memphis Boys as the house band. Jumping at the opportunity, sharing the stage that night I thought, ‘wow, this is the life for me!”
Thanks. Change of plans though - my car is having issues so we have to go back to Chattanooga. :( We're BBQing in Anniston today and driving back this evening. Todd starts work Monday - I will reengage in the job search. Hope you get to see some fireworks! Hugs, Rach-L
We are settled in. We have the futon ready for you, too! ;) Glad you got the cds - hope you enjoy the dylan stuff - it's good. We're off to B-ham tomorrow for Todd's Tom Waits concert and then Athens for the 4th. Miss you bunches!
Hey Buddy..haven't forgot about you! I just want to take the time to give you as much detail as you did me..:) Hope your doing good! When do you come back my way..we need to have a visit! J
I'll be there with bells on... I'm thinking we need to get a river trip together sometime that weekend as well. Nothing like showing up to a Sunday wedding hung over and sunburnt.
Yeah, the last time we were all together... that was when we all had the frickin tuberculosis or something. Blech!
Yes Sir I am. We just got started cutting Thursday and it's going well. If we can keep dry weather we should finish in a couple of weeks. Hope things are going good there.
Listen here HIGHWAY MAN~ You know old route 66 takes you right by my house so you best be putting that on the map of stops if you leave that dusty Oklahoma! Ya know it beautiful here in Missouri right now! Love the photo on the music player! ;))) good choice!
Next Shows: Friday, June 13- Salida Depot w/ David Allan Coe- Big Lake, MN Saturday, June 14 - Buffalo Days - Buffalo, MN Friday, June 20 - Pickle Park - Fridley, MN Saturday, June 21 - Shortstop - Fridley, MN
Hey Baby Boy! Glad to hear you R back up and running! As U know, the SOUTH's are headed NORTH! Chattanooga sounds sooooo much better than ALA!! Maybe we will see you there! xo mimi
Life and music, just trying to take everything as simple and smooth as possible, with a little help from nature and the almighty pitcher of domestic- God willing.
Haven't figured out the meaning to life yet, but if you listen to the Stanley Brothers in a cloudy haze I think you can get real close.
It's so good to hear from you thanks for writing. I don't know exactly when but there's a night or two some weekend soon where this band I am in will be in Idabel, OK. Phil's Big Rock I think. I'll have to mapquest it and check my schedule over on the Randy Allen myspace on my top friends real quick.
And we need to get together and play some honky tonk pretty bad. I got the fever 'n' yearnin'
thank you sir, I got here fine...I hope your journey faired well for you as well.. the book sounds interesting and I won't forget yours...right now I am reading; The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis you should give it a read although it is very dark it has promising views on human life and how easily we can be changed or altered in our life...well maybe not all of us...
"Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so as to end in our favour,you will find that you have been strengthening in your patient the fatal habit of attending to universal issues and withdrawing his attention from the stream of immediate sense experiences"
I hope you enjoy this quote as much as I did when comparing it to are modern society and think of the patient that is
