We were lucky to catch up with Jimmy Bowen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jimmy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My father bought me my first guitar when I was 5 years old. I began learning to play and started with my first band when I was 9 years of age. The band would play at a local biker-type bar only a few miles from my childhood home. It was so cool, especially as a kid, because we would play behind chicken wire and fencing and there was always a brawl before the night was over. Anyway, I was actually too young to be in the bar but if you played in the band, you could play, but you had to leave and go outside during the break. We played this bar twice a week from 9 PM to 1 AM and I got paid $10 a night. I was the richest 4th grader I knew (lol). That is when it hit me how cool it was and that I could make a living at this. The rest is so-called history.

Jimmy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got started with my first guitar at age 5 and joined my first band at 9 years old. As I got older, finished high school, and had been traveling, playing North Carolina and South Carolina festivals and conventions, I realized I needed something a little more concrete just to be safe if the music business did not work out for me. After graduating from high school, I enrolled at The Citadel in Charleston, SC which is a military college. I studied accounting and law for the 4 years I was there. During this time, I was trained to go into the US Marine Corps as a 2nd Lt. My major was Accounting and I have a minor in Business Law. Basically, I had decided that if the music industry did not go my way, then at least I could be an accountant for a record company, management company, or even a private advisor for an established artist. I am so appreciative of my education because it helps me with my career. I am able to understand contracts when presented to me and most importantly, I know tax law and understand the costs of goods sold as well as all the business facets that artists need to understand to help them be successful no matter the level of their career. I have a lot of artists who will call me and ask for my advice on the structure of their business, whether to be an S-Corporation, an LLC, or even structure their business under a certain entity and have a Trust to own that entity. All kinds of cool ways to save tax dollars while being successful at what you love to do. I use all the education that I have been blessed to acquire in my own career daily. I have built a team of successful people who believe in me and love the vision that I have for my career. I have built a brand, with the help of my team, with all the business avenue bases covered. I am very proud of what I have done musically. I have had the privilege to travel all over the United States, and Europe, and to perform at the White House in Washington, DC. I have been very blessed and always look forward to tomorrow and what it may hold for me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

While attending The Citadel in Charleston, SC getting my degree, I learned while training for the Marine Corps, that you basically, “IMPROVISE, ADAPT, ADJUST, and OVERCOME.” Do not let anyone stand in the way of your dreams or goals. That has become my motto in life. An example of this is when I started my TV show, Jimmy Bowen & Friends (a variety music series). We started the show in 2020 during the Covid 19 pandemic. A few of my team members shared their skepticism on the timing and although I listened to their concerns, in my heart, I felt it was the perfect time and that the concept would work and become successful. So, I went on with my idea proceeding with the TV show and it worked. We are now going into Season 8 which will be filming in January of 2024. The moral of this story is to follow your heart and your dreams and to never give up!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

What drives me in my musical journey is the determination to do what I love. So many artists want to be stars. To me, it is to be able to do what I love and am passionate about. I want to use my craft to make others feel that love and compassion. I believe a person in any profession is successful if they are doing what they love to do and can be successful at it business-wise. As an artist, it doesn’t matter whether I walk into Subway and people know who I am as long as I make a difference and make the audience feel that compassion for what I love and do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jimmybowen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmybowenandfriends/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jimmybowenandfriends/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmybowenmusic/status/1645832072424980482
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyBowenmusic
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmybowenandfriends?ug_source=op.auth&ug_term=Linktr.ee&utm_source=awyc6vc625ejxp86&utm_campaign=tt4d_profile_link&_r=1
• Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/jimmybowensantafe
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2SZLVgzKeQAafJQBOtTZJd?si=trqA2MHAQ9K0EDDpTwOX-A&utm_medium=share&utm_source=linktree&nd=1

Image Credits
Jeff Moseley- Producer, Cheri Cranford- Publicist, Britta Coleman- Executive Assistant/Booking Agent, Jeff McMahon- Photographer/Social Media Director, Tony Cottrill- Production/Sound Manager, and of course: The Band, Steve Cummings- Drums, Curtis J – Bass, Donnie Clark- Vocals/Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Craig Fletcher- Fiddle/Banjo/Guitar, and Vocals, Steve Hinson- Steel Guitar, and Dan Drobac- Electric Guitar.