On his forthcoming induction into the coveted Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, he said, “It feels awesome. It is the craziest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Regarding the key to longevity in bluegrass music over the years, he said, “Staying at it. The answer is the same as the question. It’s longevity: doing what you have been blessed to be doing this far in your life.”
He compares bluegrass music to the “rural blues.” “It’s very organic, original American music,” he admitted. “Bluegrass is similar to jazz and to blues and even classical music. You need to be a really great musician.”
Over the last few years, he shared that he has toured with bluegrass duo Darin & Brooke Aldridge. “That was great. They are some of my favorite people in the world. I love singing and playing with them. Darin is an amazing musician and Brooke is an amazing singer. It is heavenly, to be honest,” he said.
For young and aspiring artists, he encouraged them “to put in their 10,000 hours.” “If you want to play the fiddle, you need to learn to play 1,000 fiddle tunes, the same with the banjo, the mandolin, the dobro or guitar. The same thing is required of the singing. It’s all harmonic and beautiful singing,” he said.
Cowan listed bluegrass queen Dale Ann Bradley and Sierra Hull as his dream collaboration choices in music. “Bluegrass is in really good shape right now, there are so many great artists out there. The tradition of bluegrass is just great. I have been fortunate to sing with a lot of people since I’ve been around for so long,” he acknowledged.
He defined the word success as “internal happiness.”
For his fans and supporters, he said, “Thank you for allowing me to continue to pursue music for a living. Without people buying records and coming to shows, there is no way to do that. It’s not possible. You just can’t do this without the fans.”
To learn more about John Cowan, check out his official website and his Facebook page.
