One of reggae’s quiet soldiers, Winston “Bo Pee” Bowen was a gentleman in every sense of the word. The guitarist, who died March 26 in Kingston at age 62, had a prolific recording career that started at Channel One in the mid-1970s.

Bowen was a member of several top bands including Lloyd Parks And We The People, The Professionals, 809 and The Firehouse Crew. Among the many acts he toured or recorded with included Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Maxi Priest, Sizzla, and Luciano.

At the time of his death, the bespectacled Bowen was a member of the Inna Di Yard band which recorded and toured with veteran acts Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff and Kiddus I.

Kiddus I knew Bowen for over 40 years but first recorded with him during the 1990s on a series of acoustic projects produced by fellow guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith. In February, they recorded the song Hands Off Venezuela, which addressed political unrest in that South American country.

“The spirit of the man was beautiful, calm, spiritual. A beautiful brother…one of the most amicable musicians out there,”Kiddus I told the Jamaica Observer.

Bowen’s credentials as a session musician started at Channel One with songs like Leroy Smart’s Ballistic Affair. Moving to producer Joe Gibbs’ studio, he became a member of the house band, The Professionals, which played on numerous hit songs by Brown, Culture and George Nooks.

The last 10 years saw Bowen touring with pioneer deejay U Roy and mentoring younger musicians such as the Uprising Roots Band. In 2016, he was among an impressive cast of Jamaican musicians who went to Havana, Cuba, for recording sessions with their Cuban counterparts.

Those sessions resulted in the 2017 album, Havana to Kingston.