In the summer of 2017 I began writing for The British Bluegrass News. It started with a CD review and I guess the editor liked it, because the next thing I knew we were talking about me doing the cover story for their next issue.
Whether it was my writing, or the editor’s love of Peter Rowan’s music, I am not quite sure. But when I mentioned he would be performing at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, which is held just 45 minutes from my home, he was instantly eager for the piece.
Our original plan was for it to be a straight Q&A interview piece. Those plans were scrapped after the interview was completed because Peter’s long, rambling answers meant I only got a chance to ask about 5 questions in the 30 minutes or so we talked on the record.
That is not a complaint. Peter has a plethora of great stories to tell. Remember, this is a guy who was one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, and he also played with Jerry Garcia. And I could tell my questions about his time in England back in the 1960s brought up lots of memories.
There was no shortage of material, but it was so verbally disorganized that it would have been a tough read in its raw form. So instead of a Q&A piece, I opted for a more narrative story. Here is how it turned out:
BBMA-rowanYou can also watch the full interview here.
