Thornton Creek

Thornton Bowman grew up in and around Abingdon, Virginia. Abingdon sits in the corner of southwestern Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains surrounded by cattle farms, coal mines, rolling hills, hollers, ticks, and Bibles. It is about 13 miles from Bristol, VA-TN (aka “The Birthplace of Country Music”).

His formal music education began and ended when he was six years old. His eldest sister fearlessly taught him the chords G, C, and D and then sent him on his way to do whatever 6 year old boys do. His first guitar was a 12 string Yamaha with 6 strings removed.

His early musical career included singing with the Bowman Trio (Thornton and his sisters), and a short stint as a duo with his best friend, Robert, playing at high school talent shows and the like. Surprisingly, fame and fortune eluded him.

He moved to New York City when he was 18 and many things happened.

In 1991 he headed out to the left coast and settled in Seattle, WA, coincidentally, living and working within the Thornton Creek Watershed area. It wasn’t too long after that when Thornton set up a conjugation with Duane Taylor and Don Miller thus giving birth to ThorNton Creek music. The rest, as they say, is history because it has already happened.

These days ThorNton Creek includes: Thornton Bowman, Don and Steve Miller, Mark Drake, and Randy Rush. We also get some help from other fabulous musicians sometimes.