Friendly Listening Room - Bryan Bowers

American Acoustic Music Iconoclast Bryan Bowers

We are honored to welcome Bryan Bowers to The Friendly Listening Room on Thursday, September 10th. From busking for coins in his old Chevy panel truck to the Autoharp Hall of Fame, Bryan has always played for the sheer joy of bringing folks together. With only 50 seats in the room, this will be more than a concert—it’s a gathering. Come join the circle. Tickets are $25 general admission.

Sep 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Friendly Listening Room, 6731 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn, IL 60402, USA

“He plays the autoharp and when he picks up the instrument, the entire room changes…a very magical world, a music never heard before.” -THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. He has revolutionized the Autoharp and is renowned as a singer-songwriter and recording artist. His albums on Chicago’s Flying Fish Records remain essential listening in the canon of progressive American Roots music.

Bryan has a dynamic outgoing personality and an uncanny ability to enchant an audience. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like `Dixie’ and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing `Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ in quiet reverence and delight.

“I want to have a good time and I want people to have a good time, no `woe is me’ trip. I want the joy of bringing people together and communicating….if I can say it like I see it, I can bring happiness.” -BRYAN BOWERS

As a child, Bowers would tag along with the field workers and gandy dancers and learned to sing old call-and-answer songs. Bowers recalls, “The music I heard while working in the fields was mesmerizing. And, I’d see the gandy dancers coming down the tracks, setting the rails and getting their ties straight.” 

“Bryan Bowers is to the Autoharp what Bjorn Borg is to tennis balls or Henny Youngman is to one-liners – he is just about the best there is at it.” -THE GLOBE AND MAIL

For over six decades, Bryan Bowers has been to the Autoharp what Earl Scruggs was to the five-string banjo. He presents instrumental virtuosity combined with warmth, eloquence, expression and professionalism. Usually presented on festival stages, Bryan’s performance in the intimate confines of The Friendly Listening Room is a rare and very special occasion that’s not to be missed.