"More than just a place to make a living, though, the South Side in the 50's was teeming with jazz, its exuberant, life-affirming sounds making a profound impression on Bowden, the eldest of the family's seven children.

"The community was really vibrant then," recalls Bowden. "Along 47th Street, you had the Regal Theater, the Metropolitan Theater, clubs, bars, cabarets, everything. It was a thriving area, and we lived a block away, at 46th and Vincennes".

"And musicians were visible all over the neighborhood. I would see these guys walking around with their beautiful instrument cases in their hands, I would walk by Gerri's Palm Tavern and hear the music pouring out onto the street from inside. And when I heard that, I thought, 'Man, I want to play that music.'"

Read his story at:

http://aacmchicago.org/members/Mwata.html