The world lost a bluegrass legend when Ronnie Bowman passed away a couple of weeks ago, but Billy Strings intends on keeping his memory alive. Born in Mount Airy, NC in 1961, Bowman grew up playing music and singing in church before starting his first bluegrass band Lost & Found in the late 1980s. A few years later, he became the lead singer of Lonesome River Band, playing alongside Dan Tyminski and others for most of the 1990s. Simultaneously, Bowman pursued a solo career that started with the release of his seminal record Cold Virginia Night in 1994, and would continue well past his departure from the band in 2001. While he may not be a household name for most casual country music fans out there, Bowman was an influential figure in both the bluegrass and Nashville songwriting scenes for decades, and there’s a high probability you’ve heard his work and just didn’t know it. Having collaborated with a lengthy list of country music stars over the years, we have him to thank as a songwriter for songs like Chris Stapleton’s “Nobody to Blame,” Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More,” and many others. Tragically, Bowman was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on March 22 in Nashville at 64 years old, but he leaves behind loads of music that will not be forgotten, and his legacy lives on in all of the artists he has influenced and inspired throughout his career. One of those artists, bluegrass savant Billy Strings, paid homage to Bowman with a special encore in St. Augustine, FL last night. Kicking off his spring tour with a three-night run at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, a venue that has facilitated some iconic Billy Strings shows over the years, Strings shredded through two killer sets before saying goodnight to the crowd and retreating backstage with his band. A few minutes later, as the crowd’s cheers grew louder, Strings and company returned to the stage, and the ecstatic energy quickly took a somber turn. Addressing the crowd, Strings provided some context for the special encore that ensued. “Well, a couple weeks ago the entire bluegrass community was rocked with the tragic loss of the great Ronnie Bowman. He was a friend of ours, a friend of yours, and he was a friend of bluegrass music and country music. And he wrote a lot of amazing songs. I had the pleasure of writing one song with Ronnie Bowman, and I’ve never played it before. I think we probably started a couple songs, but this is the one we finished. So we’ll try to give it a shot. We send this out to Ronnie Bowman.” And with that Billy and the boys ripped in to the unreleased “Something To Look Forward To,” a road dog’s bluegrass anthem he wrote with Bowman before his passing. Man, I hope that one makes Strings’ next album. To close out the show, Strings played “Drifting With The Tide,” a Ronnie Bowman original he’s been known to cover from time to time off of that legendary Cold Virginia Night record. I wasn’t able to find any footage of this one from last night’s show, but here’s a clip of Strings’ playing the same track in Portland, ME back in 2023. Shout out to Billy Strings for honoring a late legend. Rest in peace Ronnie Bowman. And while we’re on the subject, check out Strings and Bowman teaming up for a beautiful rendition of “I’ll Fly Away” at The Ryman Auditorium back in March 2025. The post Billy Strings Performs Unreleased Song He Wrote With Ronnie Bowman In Honor Of The Late Bluegrass Legend first appeared on Whiskey Riff.