JOHNNY LOWEBOW: This ain't No Prom Blues.

Johnny Lowebow is the nom de rawk of internationally renowned Memphis luthier John Lowe. Johnny has become infamous for his construction of various one, two, three, and four string Lowebow guitars. His performance at the 2007 Deep Blues Festival was notorious with mind-bending feedback attacks and backup by Washboard Jackson. Mr. Lowe rocked in obscurity for several years with various punk outfits in the Memphis area before developing his Lowebow. Thanks to gushing praises heaped upon fellow Memphian and blues upstart Richard Johnston for his use of the Lowebow in mowing down all competition via two string Lowebow to actually make blues music that sounds like blues music (gasp!) at the International Blues Competition. Johnston's use of the Lowebow garnered him the the IBC Albert King Award and his wild weekly street performances in Memphis brought Johnston a successful debut album, a feature documentary shown on PBS titled Hill Country Troubadour and a slot playing at the 2008 Deep Blues Music and Film Festival (which will screen the doc as well). Musician and visual artist Jay Kirgis was actually the first to request one of John's custom hand wound guitar pickups to use on his diddleybow. Since then Johnny's cigarbox-style lowebows have ended up in the hands of The North Missisippi Allstars(via Luther Dickinson's pop and record producer Jim ), Microwave Dave, Kid Rock (who got his from the NMAS and proudly displayed it on CNNs Larry King). Noted guitarist for Lucinda Williams Bo Ramsey has one as does Greg Brown and Lyle Lovett. Lowe figures he's made around 400 Lowebows in various styles over the last several years and with the new found popularity of cigar box style guitars, and the uniqueness of the Lowebow itself should keep Mr.Lowe a very busy man for years to come. John Lowe is a heck of a nice guy. Interesting too. Soft spoken, well-read and whip-smart his personality is, like most artists, the antitheses of the wild primitive behemoth he appears to be on stage. He is the only man I personally know who can play guitar and snaredrum with the very same hand. Johnny Lowebow has self-released several albums which you can buy from Johnny at his shows.

The videos below were shot February 2008 at Frank's Front Row in Daytona Beach. You can find out more about, and contact, Johnny Lowebow at www.myspace.com/johnnylowebow

from: Gonerfest III
Cooking The Cabbage MP3
Goat In Me/Amstel Drinkin' Woman MP3

from: Live Flying Monkey
The Place I was Born is a Prison Now MP3
You Got To Move MP3
Hot Water Corn Bread MP3


Johnny Lowebow from ricksaunders on Vimeo.

Johnny Lowebow from ricksaunders on Vimeo.

Johnny Lowebow from ricksaunders on Vimeo.

Johnny Lowebow from ricksaunders on Vimeo.