North Carolina native Jimmy Bowen has made contributions in the music world for over three decades. During that time, he’s shared the stage with major artists such as Joe Diffie, John Anderson and Little Jimmy Dickens. He was a 2019 inductee in the Old Time Country Music Hall Of Fame.
He didn’t stop there. In 2020, Bowen started the Jimmy Bowen and Friends television show, which airs on various channels including The Family Channel and The Country Network, among others. Bowen calls the show a music variety show. He said he looks for different styles of music, so viewers will see different styles represented when they watch the program.
Bowen said the idea for the show started back in 2020 as a way to get through the COVID year. “I’m very blessed and humbled that we are going in the 10th season in January…Sometimes, I’m just in awe,” he said. Bowen films two seasons per year. The episodes filmed in January air in April and the episodes filmed in June will air in October.
Each episode contains a blend of conversation and music with an emphasis on music. In the time that Bowen spends talking to the artist, he doesn’t only ask background questions. Instead, Bowen asks questions to bring out interesting facts that even big fans of the featured artist may not know. One thing that sets the show apart is Bowen allows the artists to tell the stories behind some of their biggest and most meaningful songs.
The very first episode of season one features Jake Hoot, who was the winner of Season 17 of “The Voice” television, on which he was part of Kelly Clarkson’s team. That inaugural season of Jimmy Bowen and Friends featured other artists such as Karen Waldrup (who competed on The Voice in 2024), Elvie Shane, Ally Cutter and John Schneider.
Over the years, the show has had many great moments. He said the episode with Johnny Rodriguez was really intriguing because he’s been through a lot in his life and he jokes about it. Another episode that stands out is the one that featured T. Graham Brown. In that episode, Brown tells the story of his song “Wine Into Water,” which was released in 1998. “It’s personal to him. It’s about him…It’s special when you see that,” Bowen said.
There have been many special moments in all nine recorded seasons so far. Bowen said artists love doing his show, and that makes him very happy. He also wants the artist to want to return to the show.
People who watch the show also like it, “I’ve never heard one negative thing about it,” Bowen said, adding that he even has heard from a couple of fans from Europe. He said he’s very humbled that the show has been so well-received. “I’ve never hosted a show before,” he said, adding that he’s not Ralph Emery, who famously hosted the widely popular Nashville Now on TNN in the 1980s and 1990s. He said that he’s gotten a lot more comfortable with the hosting duties and it’s gotten to be really smooth.
Bowen said he likes to learn about things and he’s learned a lot from the show’s production manager.
One person Bowen has gotten to work with on the show is Sonny LeMaire of Exile. He said LeMaire had the idea to do original songs in every episode, but finding really good original songs in his vocal range proved to be a challenge. LeMaire volunteered to help and he’s become a big part of the show.
Although Bowen is getting ready to start his 10th session of Jimmy Bowen and Friends, he still records and tours as an artist. His most recent single is called “Highway,” which was released in April. Bowen, who has a place in Abernathy, Texas, said he has established himself as a Red Dirt artist. “We’ve had five or six songs in the Texas Music Charts,” he said.
Before starting the show, Bowen worked in bluegrass music. He was a part of the Country Gentlemen for eight years and over four years with Continental Divide. He’s also done shows with legendary country artists such as Exile and T. Graham Brown. Bowen said he is trying to be an artist who happens to have a television show, not a host who happens to play music. “I also want to do 80 or 90 shows as an artist,” he said.
Bowen plans to do even more shows in 2025, adding that he’s eager to get out and perform. He plans to start his tour in Texas, and play places like Oklahoma and southern Colorado.
People can learn more about Bowen, his upcoming tour and his show by visiting www.jimmybowen.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.