Towering on stage with his autoharp cradled delicately on his arm, Bryan Bowers demonstrates an uncanny ability to hush an audience instantly while he strips away the busy trappings of daily life and gets down to what really counts, whether it be spiritual searching, reverence for tradition, or pure merriment. Over the past three decades, Bryan has redefined the autoharp as a solo instrument, establishing himself as a singer-songwriter in the process and winning honors like induction into Frets magazine's First Gallery of the Greats and a place in the Autoharp Hall of Fame. Whether playing a rousing instrumental with such dexterity that he sounds like a four-piece string band, telling a moving story from his eventful life, or singing one of his heartfelt ballads, this native Virginian, who now lives in New Mexico, enthralls and delights audiences with his virtuosity and genuine warmth. In 2000, Bryan released his fifth album, Friend for Life (Rounder).