Winston Bowen, the guitarist whose nursery rhyme moniker summed-up his sunny personality, died yesterday at the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston, at age 62. His son, Jeovannie Bowen, told the Jamaica Observer that the cause of death was a heart attack.

He said his father was taken to hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing. The musician died one hour after being taken there.

One of reggae’s unsung heroes, Bowen was a prolific recording and touring musician for over 40 years. He started his career during the mid-1970s as a session musician at Channel One studio and was also part of The Professionals, producer Joe Gibbs’ house band which was led by bass player Lloyd Parks.

Bowen joined Parks’ We The People late that decade, and toured and recorded with Dennis Brown, who was then Gibbs’ marquee artiste. He played on several of Brown’s hit songs including the classic Promised Land.

In the 1980s, he was a founding member of the all-star 809 Band, and also played with the Firehouse Crew which backed top acts like Luciano and Sizzla. In recent years, Bowen toured Europe with U Roy, Marcia Griffiths (with 809) and the Inna De Yard group.

He also made guest appearances with 809 on the Peter Tosh tribute show last August, and We The People’s 44th anniversary concert in January, both in Kingston.

Bass player Michael Fletcher, who launched his career with the 809 Band, said Bowen was a “one-of-a-kind person, fun to be with.”

He added that as a musician, Bowen “had a great rhythm guitar style and practised his instrument intensely. I learned a lot from him.”

Some of Bowen’s many credits include Carlene Davis’ 1981 hit song Santa Claus; the Afro-Cuban/reggae album Havana Meets Cuba; and Never Ending, Beres Hammond’s latest album.

Winston “Bo Pee” Bowen is survived by his wife Lorna, six children and eight grandchildren.