John Lowell has been performing professionally for more than 45 years. He’s toured the world with his bands Kane’s River, Wheel Hoss, Deep River, Growling Old Men, Coppo Kaerner & Lowell, and the John Lowell Band. John is a triple threat – songwriter, singer and guitarist, and his smooth voice is featured on many albums, including 16 he’s released with his bands and as solo projects. 

In December of 2024 he was awarded the Montana Governor’s Arts Award in a ceremony at the Montana capitol building in Helena.  This award represents the highest honor that Montana bestows on artists that work in the literary, visual or performing arts. The International Western Music Association (IWMA) also named Lowell 2024 Songwriter of the Year and his 2024 release Snow On The Wineglass was named Album of the Year.

2022 brought Lowell the Grand Prize in the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest.

His 2021 She’s Leaving Cheyenne recording was nominated for four awards by the IWMA (two nominations in the Song of the Year category as well as Songwriter of the Year and Album of the Year) and won “Working Cowboy of the Year” for his song Angus MacKenzie. The recording was also named 2022 Album of the Year by Wyoming Public Radio and was on the top ten albums list on the Western Music charts for over 20 months. 

John Lowell teaches at the Sore Fingers music camp in the UK, the Montana Fiddle Camp, and the Targhee Music Camp, among many others. He’s played on stages from Shetland to San Bernardino, including Telluride, Vancouver Folk Festival and A Prairie Home Companion.  Lowell is also on the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Songwriter Committee. 

John and his wife Joanne Gardner Lowell live in Livingston, Montana where they produce musical events. They recently made a music video for Tanya Tucker – When the Rodeo is Over, Where do the Cowboys Go. John produced the video, Joanne directed. The team also coproduced the 2020 Virtual International Bluegrass Music Association’s award show – quite a feat during the pre-vaccine pandemic. They also produced the 100^th Anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 at the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone Park. The team curates musical performances for the Shane Center for the Arts in Livingston, and co-produces the Livingston Songwriter Festival in conjunction with Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festival.