Don Bowman
Don Bowman (born August 26, 1937 in Lubbock , Texas , † June 5, 2013 in Forsyth ) was an American country musician , comedian , radio host and songwriter . Bowman was the first to host American Country Countdown and was named First Country Comedian of the Year by the Country Music Association .
Life
Beginnings
Don Bowman began his career as a radio host for small Texas broadcasters. Bowman was first heard on KDUB and KLLL in Lubbock and later switched to other stations with a greater range. At this time he was already writing his first songs. 1961 appeared on the small LaGree label Bowman's debut single with TV Commercials / Coward of the Alamo , followed by Igmoo / Little Bad Dan in the same year on Crescendo Records . The LaGree single brought moderate success, so that Bowman was signed by the major label RCA Victor in 1963 .
successes
Bowman's first single Chit Atkins Make Me a Star reached number 14 in the Hot Country Songs in 1964 and the accompanying album Our Man in Trouble reached number 14 on the country album charts. At the same time he referred Waylon Jennings , at the time only a regional star in Arizona , to RCA and wrote Just to Satisfy You with him . Bowman's albums also reached lower positions in the charts in the next few years and other singles worth mentioning were Dear Harlan Howard , Giddyup Do-Nut , For Loving You (with Skeeter Davis ), Folsom Prison Blues # 2 and Poor Old Ugly Gladys Jones (with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson ).
From the mid-1960s, Bowman also enjoyed success as a comedian and actor. As a comedian, he appeared on Bill Anderson's show and was in the films The Las Vegas Hillbillies and Hillbillies In a Haunted House . In 1966 he was awarded the Favorite Country Comedy Recording Artist Award by Roy Acuff at the Billboard Country Awards; In 1967 he was named Comedian of the Year by the CMA ( Ben Colder and Homer and Jethro were also nominated ).
At the end of the 1960s, however, Bowman's hit parade subsided again, but he could still be heard on the radio. Between 1973 and 1978 he hosted the American Country Countdown on ACC. After his contract with RCA was not renewed in 1971, he switched to Mega Records in 1972 , but this did not bring the success back. In 1978 Bowman's last single was released on the Lone Star label.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | # | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Country Songs | Billboard Pop Charts | |||
| LaGree Records | ||||
| 1961 | TV Commercials / Coward of the Alamo | 704 | ||
| Crescendo Records | ||||
| 1961 | Igmoo / Little Bad Dan | GNP-170 | ||
| RCA Victor | ||||
| 1964 | Chit Atkins Make Me a Star / I Never Did Finish That Song | 47-8384 | # 14 | |
| 1965 | I Fell Out of Love with Love / World's Worst Guitar Picker | 47-8506 | ||
| 1965 | Graduation Day / Wrong House | 47-8588 | ||
| 1965 | Dear Harlan Howard / Freddy Four Tones | 47-8670 | ||
| 1966 | Giddyup Do-Nut / Freda on the Freeway | 47-8811 | ||
| 1966 | All American Boy / I Get the Feeling We're Through | 47-8916 | ||
| 1966 | Surely Not / Dear Sister | 47-8990 | ||
| 1967 | What Kind of Fool I Am / My Voice Is Changin ' | 47-9176 | ||
| 1967 | Little Leroy / Tijuana Drum and Bugle Corps | 47-9290 | ||
| 1967 | For Lovin 'You / Baby It's Cold Outside (with Skeeter Davis ) | 47-9415 | ||
| 1968 | San Francisco Scene / Messin 'Up My Mind | 47-9576 | ||
| 1968 | Folsom Prison Blues No. 2 / House of the Setting Sun | 47-9617 | ||
| 1968 | Jole Blon / Little Diesel Drivin 'Devil | 47-9706 | ||
| 1969 | Poor Old Ugly Gladys Jones (with Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings ) / Boll Weevil Air Lines | 74-0133 | ||
| 1969 | Boy Named Sue / How Come It Is | 74-0233 | ||
| 1969 | Top Ten / How Come It Is | 47-9783 | ||
| 1970 | Roy Raisin / Still | 47-9823 | ||
| 1971 | I Owe It All to You Chit Atkins / Another Puff | 47-9949 | ||
| Mega Records | ||||
| 1972 | Hello DJ, Pt. 1 / Hello DJ, Pt. 2 | 615-0062 | ||
| 1972 | Homecoming / Poetic Justice | 615-0083 | ||
| Lone Star Records | ||||
| 1978 | Willon and Waylie / Power Tool Song | 701 | ||
Albums
- 1964: Our Man in Trouble (RCA Victor, # 14)
- 1965: Fresh from the Funny Farm (RCA Victor)
- 1966: Funny Way to Make an Album (RCA Victor, # 14)
- 1966: Recorded Almost Live (RCA Victor, # 36)
- 1967: From Mexico with Laughs (RCA Victor, # 42)
- 1968: Funny Folk Flops (RCA Victor)
- 1969: Support Your Local Prison (RCA Victor)
- 1970: Whispering Country (RCA Victor)
- 1972: All the New (Mega)
- 1979: Still Fighting Health Problems (Lone Star)
- 1990: On the Road Too Long (LB)
Web links
- Official website
- Don Bowman on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bowman, Don |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician, comedian, radio host, and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 26, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lubbock , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th June 2013 |
| Place of death | Forsyth |