A musician’s unforgettable apprenticeship in bluegrass, spirituality, and the search for America’s musical soul.
In 1965, a young Peter Rowan joined Bill Monroe’s legendary Blue Grass Boys, embarking on a musical career that would take him from the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry to the dusty backroads of the segregated South, from the folk clubs of England to the San Francisco psychedelic scene, and from bluegrass music to a search for wisdom in philosophy and Buddhism.
Perfect for fans of Chronicle by Bob Dylan and readers who enjoyed Bluegrass: A History by Neil V. Rosenberg, this memoir offers rare insight into the creative process of a man who helped bring bluegrass music into the mainstream. Rowan’s narrative weaves together vivid portraits of legendary figures—Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and the Father of Bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe—with explorations of Tibetan Buddhism, Native American spirituality, and the cross-cultural roots of American roots music.
More than a music memoir, Walls of Time traces how the “ancient tones” connect past and present, how tradition and innovation collide, how songs carry wisdom across generations, and how one artist’s quest for authenticity mirrors a nation’s search for its soul. Readers seeking an authentic voice from the 1960s folk revival and the birth of jamgrass will find an essential chronicle of American music’s living history.
