James van Buren Fowler (June 29, 1959 – March 8, 2014) was an American rock and roll and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

guitar player from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. He was the lead guitarist for

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

band

Drivin' n' Cryin' Drivin N Cryin is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. History The band was formed in 1985, soon after Kevn Kinney had relocated to Atlanta from Milwaukee.Kinney, Kevn> Bio">Drivin' N Cryin' >> Bio. Drivin' N Cryin' Official w ...

from 1988 to 1993, and had previously toured with

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

Biography

Fowler toured with

in the mid-1980s, as a guitar technician for

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

, and later as a featured rhythm guitarist on the band's tours in 1986 and 1987. Fowler subsequently joined

Drivin N Cryin Drivin N Cryin is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. History The band was formed in 1985, soon after Kevn Kinney had relocated to Atlanta from Milwaukee.Kinney, Kevn> Bio">Drivin' N Cryin' >> Bio. Drivin' N Cryin' Official w ...

, a band that had frequently opened for and toured with R.E.M. Fowler stayed with Drivin' n' Cryin' until 1994, releasing three records and touring internationally. Fowler departed from the main lineup of Drivin' n' Cryin' when leader

Kevn Kinney Kevin Kinney, known professionally as Kevn Kinney (born March 12, 1961),"The Baseball Project at Wux ...

decided to scale down the group's

sound. Fowler, a lifelong, avid baseball fan, relocated to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

to work with sports clients, including

Louisville Slugger Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. Repairing, teaching "rock school" at Mom's Music, and building custom guitars, there, he began perfecting his trade craft. After nearly a decade, Fowler returned to Georgia. Back in the peach state he resumed guitar tech work and repair, while playing regionally in his own projects and also with other bands. In addition to teaching guitar. Fowler was succeeded by his children, Ian Fowler and Van Fowler, in 1992 and 1987 respectively. Fowler briefly reunited with his former bandmates when a 2012 documentary, ''Scarred but Smarter: Life 'n Times of Driving' n' Cryin','' was filmed about the band. Fowler joined them in being honored by the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

who publicly recognized the band for its contribution to the state's music heritage and community in 2011 with House Resolution 387. He also reunited, most recently, with R.E.M.'s

for some live dates when Buck returned to Georgia with his own band, late in 2013. After experiencing health problems stemming from multiple physical issues in the past two years, Fowler died in his sleep in the early hours of March 8, 2014.

Discography

With

: *''Whisper Tames the Lion'' (Jan 1988) U.S. No. 130 *''Mystery Road'' (March 1989) *''Fly Me Courageous'' (Jan 1991) U.S. No. 90 *''Live on Fire'' (EP) (1991; live tracks from

Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a amusement park in Austell, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961. Six Flags Over Georgia is one of t ...

March 1991) *''Smoke'' (Feb 1993) U.S. No. 95 *''Wrapped in Sky'' (Aug 1995) *''Ultimate Collection'' (Aug 2000) With

Kevn Kinney Kevin Kinney, known professionally as Kevn Kinney (born March 12, 1961),"The Baseball Project at Wux ...

: *'' MacDougal Blues'' (1990)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Buren 1959 births 2014 deaths R.E.M. personnel American male guitarists American alternative rock guitarists Musicians from Athens, Georgia American country rock musicians Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Decatur, Georgia 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists