John R. Bowman grew up in Ararat, Virginia, soaking in the region's rich musical heritage. He performed with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver from 1991-1992, recording four CDs with the group. In 1991, several old friends from Dusty Miller, Adam Steffey and Barry Bales, encouraged him to think about joining Alison Krauss's band. In September 1992, Alison asked him to join, and he did, staying with her group for fifteen months. He left in 1994 after marrying Becky Isaacs, and performed with The Isaacs for twelve years. Bowman joined Bluegrass supergroup The Boxcars in 2009.