Tim Bowman

A guitarist of notable skill whose playing fuses smooth jazz textures with gospel roots, Tim Bowman entered the world in Detroit, Michigan, on April 22, 1959. He first picked up the instrument at age eleven and acquired much of his foundational instruction through services at the International Gospel Center, a neighborhood church. Bowman performed as a singer in the IGC choir before advancing to vocals and guitar with the congregation’s ensemble, the International Sounds of Deliverance. His sibling Vickie, an accomplished singer who likewise belonged to that group, entered the Winans family upon her 1978 marriage to gospel star Marvin Winans. During the mid-1980s Bowman received an invitation to join the Winans onstage at Mercy College; the appearance led to a full-time role in their band. The group’s demanding itinerary ultimately proved incompatible with his schedule, prompting his departure in 1987. He then turned his attention to an independent path, issuing his debut solo effort, Love, Joy, Peace, in 1996. Diamante Records initially pressed only 2,000 copies, yet the run sold out inside two months and received a wider national distribution. Bowman remained with the label for two subsequent projects, Paradise in 1998 and Smile in 2000, before switching to Liquid 8 Records for the 2004 release This Is What I Hear. His self-titled Tim Bowman album arrived in 2008 and marked a commercial turning point, securing his first entry on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at number 15. Two years later he issued the retrospective The Collection, which added three previously unreleased tracks to selections from earlier recordings. Bowman returned to the studio and delivered his next full-length project, Into the Blue, in September 2017.