June 17th, 2019 by WCBC Radio
The board of commissioners of the Downtown Development Commission in collaboration with the board of directors of the Cumberland Cultural Foundation and C. William Gilchrist Museum of the Arts would like to invite the public to join them in welcoming, fresh from their debut at DelFest 2019, the new musical trio Bowman, Bowman & Dre for a benefit concert slated as “An Intimate Evening with Bowman, Bowman & Dre: An Official DelFest Afterglow Event” scheduled for Saturday evening June 29th from 6 – 10 PM in the illuminated Gilchrist Garden located at 104 Washington Street in Cumberland.
When Ronnie Bowman, Garnet Bowman and Dré Anders sang together for the first time at DelFest 2018, it was a perfect fit for them and the audience and, the McCoury family festival can take credit for launching another new group. A vocal trio, featuring Ronnie, the hit songwriter and former lead singer of The Lonesome River Band, Garnet, his partner in life and in demand Nashville session singer, and Dré, Swedish born, folk singer and founder/lead vocalist of Dré and The Collective. Together, their harmonies evoke the folk music of the 70's…peace, love, and songs with something to say.
From the age of three, Ronnie Bowman has been performing music. Starting in a family band, he eventually joined the acclaimed Bluegrass band The Lost & Found. From there, Ronnie moved to The Lonesome River Band, joining the band to record of "Carrying the Tradition"; (IBMA) Album of the Year in 1991. As a member of the Lonesome River Band, Ronnie was awarded IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year three times, twice honored with the IBMA’s Song of the Year award ("Three Rusty Nails", and "Cold Virginia Night"), and was awarded the Gospel Performance of the Year award for "Three Rusty Nails". As a songwriter Ronnie’s spent a lot of time at the top of the charts, penning hits for Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack and recently Chris Stapleton's single "Nobody To Blame" for which he won the ACM "Song of the Year".
Garnet Bowman also has her roots in the church. She started her music career in Nashville as a session singer, and quickly became a “go to” for top country producers and artists alike. She has worked with Buddy Cannon, Byron Gallimore and Don Cook to name a few. Her vocals have been heard in the company of countless artists for studio projects and live shows, including Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley and more. In the last few years she has exclusively sung and traveled with her favorite singer, Ronnie.
Born in Sweden and now a Permanent Resident of the US, Dré Anders is a product of a very famous musical family: parents graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, father honored with a postage stamp. The family toured in churches and summer festivals all over the world into her late teens. So, for someone who started singing at age 3 in the church, she certainly chose an odd career path for the better part of the next two decades…pushing her brothers out of the creative nest (including Adam Anders- music producer for Glee), joining a pop group in LA, experimenting with Blues and Rock, vocal producer and arranger for various Indie projects, a catalyst for the launch of the critically acclaimed Travelin’ McCourys, and most recently founder and leader of Dré and the Collective, landing her a number one hit on the Indie charts in Sweden
The June 29th benefit performance will open at 6 PM with food available from the Good Carma Catering food truck and live dinner music by the Frostburg based Bluegrass band, Day Old News, featuring Denny Merrill, Jeremie Hamilton, Tom Bond, and Sam Lauver. A full cash bar will be provided by the Cumberland Cultural Foundation. Bowman, Bowman and Dre will take the stage to entertain guests around 8 PM. A casual summer attire is suggested, and the event is family friendly with children 12 & under admitted for free with an adult donation. Chaired seating will be available throughout the garden in addition to lawn rugs, provided by Azad’s of Cumberland, placed throughout the garden for casual lawn seating. Guests are welcome to bring their favorite picnic blanket or stadium chair to add to the casual experience.
Admission to the benefit is by donation with advance donations available at $45 per person through Friday June 28th by cash or check made payable to: Mayor & City Council with DDC/ Bowman, Bowman & Dre in the memo line. And, can be dropped off at the DDC office with Mikayla Dodge in the lower level of City Hall at 57 N. Liberty Street; or with Dave Love at Azad’s of Cumberland at 37 N. Centre Street in Cumberland up until 5 PM on the 28th. A $65 donation will be available at the door, the day of the event. All proceeds of the event, after expenses, will go to benefit the Burgmeier’s Hauling Discover Downtown Cumberland year-round music and events program with a portion of the proceeds donated directly to the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland.
“Barbara Buehl and I started brainstorming about a benefit for Downtown Cumberland about a year ago and after she found out that Dre Anders was creating this new group with Ronnie and Garnett Bowman, we both knew that we had found the right group. Barb pitched the idea to Dre back in November and they were all in. Our next step was to find the right location, and the Gilchrist Garden was perfect to create this intimate and casual event. Right in the heart of the arts & entertainment district of downtown, the garden is a hidden treasure with its size and layout. Originally within the walls of Fort Cumberland, much of the garden remains as it has been for almost 200 years and has been the backdrop to many area weddings, events and the annual Gilchrist Gala. But, for this event, we want everyone to come as they are for a relaxed, casual and intimate evening with friends and family. There will be seating for those who want a seat and places to sit and eat food from the food-truck, but we really want guests to come and relax – drop down on a Persian rug or bring their favorite picnic blanket and enjoy beautiful music in a beautiful atmosphere under the evening sky.” Says Dave Love, Vice President of the Cumberland Cultural Foundation and Chair of the Discover Downtown Cumberland committee. “Dre, Ronnie and Garnet are not just our performers for this event, they are also our guests, and this intimate experience will allow those in attendance to get to know the people behind the music. I personally met Dre last year at DelFest and Ronnie and Garnet this year at their debut and what impressed me most beyond their music was their heart and passion for life and the people around them. That passion really shines through when these three perform”, continues Love.
The benefit event is being slated by Rainmaker Music Management as “An Official DelFest Afterglow Event”. Operated by longtime music industry professional, Stan Strickland, Rainmaker manages Bowman, Bowman and Dre, as well as, the careers of other award winning musicians such as Del McCoury, The Travelin’ McCourys, Sierra Hull and The Gibson Brothers; and is the co-founder of DelFest.
For more information or questions about this event, please contact Dave Love at david.kyle.love@gmail.com or by phone of text at 301.723.0818 or by message at www.facebook.com/historicdowntowncumberland
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