# Grace Bowers
**Grace Bowers** is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader from [Danville, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/danville-california), who came to prominence as a teenage blues and roots guitar player in Nashville and fronts the band Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge. Born and raised in the [San Francisco Bay Area](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-bay-area), she picked up the guitar at nine years old, built an online audience during the COVID-19 pandemic at age 12, and by her late teens had won the [Americana Music Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana-music-association)'s Instrumentalist of the Year award and released a debut album, *Wine on Venus* (2024).[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Native of Danville, California; began guitar at nine after seeing a Slash solo on YouTube; family moved to Nashville during the pandemic[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) |
| Band | Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge: Esther Okai-Tetteh (vocals), Joshua Blaylock (keys), Brandon Combs (drums), Eric Fortaleza (bass), Prince Parker (additional guitar)[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) |
| Debut album | *Wine on Venus*, released August 9, 2024, produced by John Osborne of Brothers Osborne, released independently[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) • [5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) |
| Signature gear | Gibson '61 SG with P-90 pickups, Fender Reverb amp, and a sparse pedalboard of a Nightshade overdrive, Echoplex tape delay and wah[6](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge) |
| Awards | 2024 Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year; Variety Next Gen award at Hitmakers; named a U.S. Global Music Ambassador[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [7](https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grace-bowers-hitmakers-guitarist-interview-1236242083/) |
| Milestone performances | Newport Folk Festival debut 2023 (three sets); Grand Ole Opry debut on her 18th birthday; 67th Grammy Awards; Love Rocks NYC at the Beacon Theater[8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers) • [1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) |
| Influences | B.B. King, Sly & the Family Stone, Funkadelic, Buddy Miles, Tedeschi Trucks Band; sound blends blues, soul, funk and classic rock[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) • [5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
Bowers grew up in Danville, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her turning point came at age nine, when she saw a video of [Guns N' Roses](https://www.edgepedia.org/guns-n-roses) guitarist Slash soloing on YouTube; she began playing and immersed herself in recordings by B.B. King, Sly & the Family Stone and [Funkadelic](https://www.edgepedia.org/funkadelic).[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) She attended Stone Valley middle school and, while there, devoted up to four hours a day to the instrument, expanding her vocabulary by scouring online playlists for blues and discovering artists including [Mississippi John Hurt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mississippi-john-hurt), Freddie King and T-Bone Walker.[8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers)
Her training was mostly self-directed. She briefly took lessons from a church-based guitar teacher who declined to teach her the AC/DC songs "Hells Bells" and "TNT" because of their lyrics; otherwise she learned through YouTube tutorials and lessons.[9](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/12/28/grace-bowers-plays-the-guitar-blues-nashville/72048354007/) • [8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers) She has said she had been playing for seven years at one interview but had only learned the pentatonic scale three years before.[6](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge)
**Online attention changed the trajectory.** During COVID lockdown, when she was 12, she began uploading covers, emphasizing technique and style over theatrics, livestreamed solo jam sessions on Reddit, and gained viral Instagram reels; the following built to a Gibson endorsement deal when she was 14, and her family relocated to Nashville, where she got serious about learning and playing.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) • [9](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/12/28/grace-bowers-plays-the-guitar-blues-nashville/72048354007/)
## Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge
The Hodge Podge took shape from a revolving cast. Bowers established the band after plucking the best musicians from rotating lineups she had jammed with in Nashville, which is the source of the name.[5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) The fixed lineup is drummer Brandon Combs, keyboardist Joshua Blaylock, vocalist Esther Okai-Tetteh and bassist Eric Fortaleza, with Prince Parker adding additional guitar on the debut album.[4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) • [3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) She met Okai-Tetteh at a rock camp, and the two wrote most of *Wine on Venus* together on Bowers' bedroom floor.[5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html)
Bowers has described the band as a collective rather than a vehicle for a solo artist, citing the [Tedeschi Trucks Band](https://www.edgepedia.org/tedeschi-trucks-band) as a model, and the group writes with everyone in the room for an organic sound.[4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) • [9](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/12/28/grace-bowers-plays-the-guitar-blues-nashville/72048354007/)
## Wine on Venus and recordings
Bowers' first single, the funk-leaning "Tell Me Why U Do That," was released April 22, 2024, with five-part harmonies that she recorded with five singers in a room at once.[4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) Her debut album, *Wine on Venus*, followed on August 9, 2024, announced when she was 17. It was produced by John Osborne of Brothers Osborne at his studio in East Nashville and released independently; she was an independent artist at the time, despite label overtures.[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) • [5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/)
The album is deliberately structured like older records: an instrumental intro, organ interludes and songs running into one another, as Bowers described it, a "throwback approach."
[7](https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grace-bowers-hitmakers-guitarist-interview-1236242083/) Its range covers a cover of [Sly and the Family Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sly-and-the-family-stone)'s 1967 single "Dance to the Music," the rootsy country-styled "Lucy," and the keys-driven interlude "Mookie's Blues."[5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) Critical reception was favorable: Forbes called it "an infectious, joyous party," and Rolling Stone named Bowers "Nashville's new guitar hero."[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) She has said a follow-up album would take a cleaner, more modern funk sound.[7](https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grace-bowers-hitmakers-guitarist-interview-1236242083/)
## Performances and recognition
Bowers' breakout as a live performer came in 2023. In May of that year she joined Gaslight Anthem onstage at the [Ryman Auditorium](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryman-auditorium), and at her [Newport Folk Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/newport-folk-festival) debut she played three sets: contributing to a [John Prine](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-prine) tribute, accompanying Valerie June, and delivering a solo instrumental set that Rolling Stone described as evidence of "a star in the making."[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) • [8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers) She also played the Allman Family Revival at the Ryman with Devon Allman.[8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers)
**Nashville milestones followed.** She made her [Grand Ole Opry](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-ole-opry) debut on her eighteenth birthday in 2024 and headlined the Grace Bowers & Friends benefit for The Covenant School in Nashville, featuring [Butch Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/butch-walker), Hannah Wicklund, Devon Gilfillian and [Daniel Donato](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-donato); her second annual benefit show raised $30,000, of which $15,000 was donated to MusiCares.[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers)
Her recognition includes the 2024 Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year award, a Next Gen award at Variety's Hitmakers event in Los Angeles, and designation as a U.S. Global Music Ambassador alongside [Lainey Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/lainey-wilson) and Breland in an initiative overseen by the U.S. Department of State and YouTube.[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [7](https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grace-bowers-hitmakers-guitarist-interview-1236242083/) • [3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) She made her late-night television debut on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*, was featured on *CBS Mornings*, *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert* and NPR's *All Things Considered*, performed at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards with Chris Martin of Coldplay, and appeared at Love Rocks NYC at the Beacon Theater with Peter Frampton and Trey Anastasio.[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) Touring has included dates with The Red Clay Strays, Gary Clark Jr., Slash and The Roots, festival slots including Tennessee's Pilgrimage, and sold-out headlining shows in Japan, New York City and Los Angeles.[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/)
## Style and influences
Her main instrument is a Gibson '61 SG with P-90 pickups, gifted to her two years before a Guitar World interview, paired with a Fender Reverb amp and a sparse pedalboard: a Grindstone Audio Solutions Nightshade overdrive, an Echoplex tape delay and a wah.[6](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge)
Her playing draws on soul, funk and classic rock as much as blues. She and her bandmates name Tedeschi Trucks Band, Funkadelic and Sly & the Family Stone as inspirations and describe their sound as a modern take on those sources; the album's Buddy Miles reference point sits alongside them.[4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/) • [5](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html) The path itself is atypical for the genre: self-taught through YouTube and playlists rather than formal schooling or family tradition, with technique emphasized over theatrics from her first uploads.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134) • [8](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers)
## Place in the young blues revival
Bowers sits in a cohort of young players who reached national audiences through social media rather than club apprenticeship, and she is among the most name-checked of them: Devon Allman, Margo Price, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Susan Tedeschi have all publicly praised her, and Dolly Parton is also cited among her champions.[6](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge) • [4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/)
Her co-billings mark out the breadth of that standing: she has toured with blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., with Slash, and with The Roots, and played the Crossroads Festival alongside Newport.[1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [6](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge) Within the revival she is distinguished by the band-first model: the Hodge Podge writes as a unit and takes its template from a full band like the Tedeschi Trucks Band, blending blues with soul and funk rather than remaining within blues-rock convention.[4](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/)
## Rapid rise since 2023
The pace of her ascent is measurable against her age. Her debut album was announced in August 2024, when she was still 17; she debuted on the Grand Ole Opry on her 18th birthday in 2024; she won the Americana Honors & Awards Instrumentalist of the Year in 2024; she performed at the 67th Grammy Awards and Love Rocks NYC; and a Forbes profile records her at 19 as an award-winning bandleader with a Grammy Awards appearance behind her.[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/) • [1](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio) • [10](https://www.forbes.com/profile/grace-bowers/) AllMusic classifies her across Americana, Blues-Rock, Modern Blues, Soul-Blues, Roots Rock and Guitar Virtuoso styles, reflecting a catalog that has already spread past a single genre label.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134)
## References
1. [About — GRACE BOWERS (official bio)](https://www.gracebowers.com/bio)
2. [Grace Bowers — AllMusic biography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0004642134)
3. [Grace Bowers Announces Debut Album 'Wine on Venus' — Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grace-bowers-debut-album-wine-on-venus-1235047540/)
4. [Danville's Grace Bowers burning up as guitar prodigy — Riff Magazine](https://riffmagazine.com/features/grace-bowers-danville-to-nashville/)
5. [Grace Bowers Sets the Stage With 'Wine on Venus' — Nashville Scene](https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/grace-bowers-interview-wine-venus/article_93613f8e-5376-11ef-ad6d-cbc5c8089f6a.html)
6. [Meet Grace Bowers, the next great blues guitar hero — Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/grace-bowers-hodge-podge)
7. [Guitar Hero Grace Bowers on the Story Behind Her Breakout Success — Variety](https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grace-bowers-hitmakers-guitarist-interview-1236242083/)
8. [Grace Bowers — Grand Ole Opry artist page](https://www.opry.com/artists-grace-bowers)
9. [Grace Bowers is the teenage guitar phenom who plays dive bars at night — USA Today](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/12/28/grace-bowers-plays-the-guitar-blues-nashville/72048354007/)
10. [Grace Bowers — Forbes profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/grace-bowers/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Blues, folk, and roots musicians › Blues musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license