By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

Chances are when one hears the name John Cowan, it probably doesn’t ring any bells.
But mention the Doobie Brothers or play one of their hits, and everyone will recognize the famous 1970s rock band.

Cowan, a progressive bluegrass musician, will be doing his second tour with the famous group this summer.

“I used to stare at their album covers and roll joints off of them,” Cowan said from Nashville in a phone interview. “Now to find myself on stage with the guys … sometimes I have to pinch myself.”

But before he begins the Doobie tour, he will make a stop in Niles for this weekend’s Niles Bluegrass Festival. Cowan will bring his “newgrass” genre of music to the main stage at Riverfront Park on Friday at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Cowan, who gained fame as the bassist and vocalist for Newgrass Revival in the 1970s and 80s, has played with some big names in the music industry.

Besides a tour with the Doobie Brothers in the mid-90s, Cowan, 57, has played or recorded with the likes of Bill Monroe, Bruce Hornsby, Lyle Lovett, Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Garth Brooks and Wynonna Judd.

“I’ve been working with people whose records I’ve bought in the past,” Cowan said. “For a guy who is not famous, I’ve had a pretty good career.”

Cowan credits his current success to playing with Newgrass Revival.

The band’s unique style of progressive bluegrass and Cowan’s smooth vocals produced quite a following.

“We played contemporary music on traditional instruments,” Cowan said. “We basically took songs from other genres and played them on bluegrass instruments.”

Cowan grew up in Kentucky listening to everything from Stevie Wonder to Buck Owens on AM radio and playing in garage rock and roll bands.

“I got into bluegrass kind of on accident,” he said. “The guys from Newgrass Revival knew somebody who knew me so I auditioned.”

Soon Cowan was living out his childhood dream of being a professional musician.

Cowan’s diverse taste in music lent itself well to the newgrass genre.

“I am a rock and R&B singer,” he said. “So it’s really a curious mix, but it’s what I’ve always done and am still doing.”

Cowan says the Niles crowd can expect a fun show on Friday.

“Our repertoire is fun and crazy,” he said. “We do songs that we’ve written. We do Charlie Parker tunes, blues tunes.”

Cowan came to Niles last summer for the summer concert series and really enjoyed it.

“It was just beautiful, playing that small amphitheater down by the river,” he said. “We went out to eat at a really cool place. It was just a fond memory.”

The Massenburg Sessions

Last month John Cowan released “The Massenburg Sessions,” a 13-track album honoring legendary recording and mastering engineer George Massenburg.

Cowan and Massenburg recorded the music live in the studio with no editing, mixing and even no use of headphones by musicians.

“It’s how they made all records before 1965,” Cowan said. “It’s spontaneous and kind of like walking a tight rope but it’s been really rewarding.”

Cowan said the album is special to him because he recorded it with many of his former music colleagues.

“I have all sorts of friends on it,” he said. “It was kind of a communal gathering of kindred souls with the mics on.”