Hold to a Dream: A Newgrass Odyssey

For over forty years, John Cowan has been both a participant in and chronicler of country and bluegrass music history. Whether as the lead singer and bassist of the genre-bending group New Grass Revival, a beloved personality on Nashville’s WSM radio (＂the most famed country music station in the world＂), or the newest member of the Doobie Brothers, Cowan has had a front-row seat to seismic changes in American roots music and in the recording industry as a whole.

Hold to a Dream combines a rollicking account of Cowan’s life and career with interviews with some of the biggest names in country and bluegrass, including Kris Kristofferson, Bela Fleck, Loretta Lynn, Jim Messina, John Carter Cash, Sam Moore, and Bernie Leadon. It’s a fascinating look into a half-century of tradition, experimentation, and innovation in one of the most vital and enduring of American musical genres.

Hailed as ＂The Voice of Newgrass,＂ John Cowan has been singing his heart out for more than forty years now in genres from country, bluegrass, and gospel to soul, jazz, and rock-and-roll, often within the space of a single concert. As one of the original members of New Grass Revival, John--along with bandmates Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Curtis Burch, Bela Fleck, and Pat Flynn--introduced a new generation of music fans to an explosive and experimental brand of bluegrass, one that would help shape the sensibilities of country megastars like Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, and Darius Rucker. John is currently the bassist for the Doobie Brothers, with whom he recently completed the group’s 50th anniversary tour.