Longwood Debut
Americana icon Peter Rowan—founding member of the legendary bluegrass group Old & In The Way with Vassar Clements, David “Dawg” Grisman, and Jerry Garcia—joins Sam Grisman and his Sam Grisman Project for this special performance. Together, they capture audiences with the music of Dawg and Jerry, their own originals, and timeless roots selections that reach the heart of American music.
Peter Rowan
Americana icon, Grammy Award winner, and member of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame Peter Rowan is a singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades. From his early years playing under the tutelage of Bluegrass veteran Bill Monroe, to his time in Old & In The Way and his breakout as a solo musician and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through a solid stream of recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring
Born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family, Rowan learned to play guitar from his uncle. He spent his teenage years absorbing the sights and sounds of the Hillbilly Ranch, a legendary country music nightclub in Boston frequented by old-time acts like The Lilly Brothers and Tex Logan. In 1956 Rowan formed his first band, the Cupids, while still in high school. After three years in college, he left academia to pursue a life in music. Rowan began his professional career in 1963 as the singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter for the Bluegrass Boys, led by the founding father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe.
The late 60s and early 70s saw Rowan involved in a number of rock, folk, and bluegrass projects, including Earth Opera, Sea Train, Muleskinner, and the Rowans, where he played alongside brothers Chris and Lorin Rowan. After the Rowan Brothers disbanded, Rowan, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, and John Kahn formed a bluegrass band christened Old & In The Way. It was during this incarnation that Rowan penned the song Panama Red, a subsequent hit for the New Riders of the Purple Sage and a classic ever since. Rowan subsequently embarked on a well-received solo career in the late 70s, releasing critically acclaimed records such as Dustbowl Children (a Woody Guthrie-style song cycle about the Great Depression), Yonder (a record of oldtime country music in collaboration with ace dobro player Jerry Douglas), and two extraordinarily fine bluegrass albums, The First Whippoorwill and Bluegrass Boy, as well as High Lonesome Cowboy, a recording of traditional and old-time mountain music with Don Edwards and Norman Blake.
Rowan’s recent release, Quartet, a recording with the phenomenal Tony Rice and Legacy with the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, coupled with a relentless touring schedule, have further endeared Rowan to audiences around the world. Following on the heels of the celebrated album Crucial Country: Live at Telluride, Rowan recorded his second album for Compass entitled Old School with members of the current Bluegrass Band plus Chris Henry, Michael Cleveland, Bryan Sutton, Ronnie, Robbie and Del McCoury, and more.
Since then, Rowan has recorded and released Twang an Groove Vol. 1 (his electric band with drummer Jamie Oldacker and bassist Mike Morgan) on There Records; Dharma Blues (produced by John Chelew and including Jack Casady, Jody Stecker, Patrick Korte, and Manose Singh performing songs of the Buddhaverse) on Omnivore Records; and My Aloha, also on Omnivore Records. Rowan recorded and released two bluegrass records on Compass Records, both of which reverted back to him—Legacy and The Old School—before joining Rebel Records’ stellar bluegrass lineup. His second Rebel release, Calling You From My Mountain, received a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album.
Internationally, Rowan often performs as a solo singer-songwriter, while stateside, along with solo appearances, he plays in three bands: the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, a quintet featuring Keith Little, Chris Henry, Blaine Sprouse and Paul Knight; Big Twang Theory and its Texas Cousin Twang n Groove; and rock band The Free Mexican Air Force.
Sam Grisman
Sam Grisman is a bassist and bandleader at the helm of a commanding improvisational ensemble performing live acoustic music in the tradition shaped by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.
He grew up in Mill Valley, California in a home where some of the great acoustic music of our time was regularly being recorded. His father, legendary mandolinist, composer, and producer David Grisman, often hosted friends at his home studio for recording sessions and rehearsals. These friends, including Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, John Hartford, Mike Seeger, and Tony Rice, left a lasting impression and inspired him to pursue a life making music with his many talented friends. The band’s shows create a space where the band and audience share in a deep love and reverence for the great music and musicians who continue to inspire them.
The friends who make up Sam Grisman Project are a rotating cadre of acousticians who are among the brightest individual voices on their respective instruments. Members of this rotating cast include guitarists Max Flansburg, Logan Ledger, Sam Leslie, Henry Moser, Jesse Harper, and Jefferson Hamer; mandolinists Dominick Leslie, Joe K. Walsh, Matt Flinner, and Jesse Appelman; clawhammer banjo maestro Victor Furtado; fiddlers John Mailander, Alex Hargreaves, Nate Leath, Shad Cobb, and Phoebe Hunt; cellist Nat Smith; and Todd Livingston on the Dobro.
The band also frequently collaborates with legendary singer, songwriter, and bluegrass pioneer Peter Rowan, a deeply meaningful connection that ties directly back to David Grisman and the Old & In the Way legacy. Over the years Sam Grisman Project has welcomed a wide range of spontaneous and exciting guests including David Grisman, John Sebastian, Tim O’Brien, Billy Strings, Maria Muldaur, Margo Price, and many more.
This ever-evolving collective of exceptional humans who happen to be incredible musicians reflects the abundance of joy and wealth of experiences that growing up around this timeless music brought into Sam’s life. Sam Grisman Project is committed to putting their love, gratitude, and individuality into the music they share on stage each night, and to participating in the community effort of preserving, expanding, and appreciating great American acoustic music.