At 37, Tim Bowman Jr, is just getting his feet wet in gospel, and he’s already an SRO experience. Last year, his performance at the Stellar Awards illuminated the arena and later the television screen. It sealed the deal for fans who want the fresh, new, exciting, but authentic sounds of gospel.
In the past few years, a new array of anointed artists have trafficked the gospel genre. They’re all fresh and exciting, but top artists that instantly strike a chord with a majority of gospel fans aren’t the norm. Tim Bowman, Jr. is the exception. He is uniquely gifted and dynamically creative, but he’s got that “something” special. He’s fresh and he’s familiar, and for good reason.
Tim’s father, Tim Bowman, Sr., is a Billboard-charting jazz/gospel musician, and his aunt Vickie—as in Winans, is a bonafide gospel su-perstar. Some would say, ‘he got it honest,’ but not only did he ‘get it,’ he’s taking it to a whole new level.
Rolling the tape back, it’s hard to come from two amazing families of music in Detroit and not have the “oil” that flows to create musical genius. “All of us do something musically,” Tim says. “I just grew up around it.” There were 12 siblings in Tim’s father’s genera-tion, one of which was his famous aunt Vickie (originally Bowman). Tim reflects, “And she married my Uncle Marvin (Winans).” The famous Winans family dynasty included Mom and Pop and their 10 children, most of whom became gospel music legends.
In 2011, Vickie’s “How I Got Over” video introduced Tim, Jr.’s talents to the public. From there, he stepped out as a solo artist with his 2012 release, “Beautiful.”
Tim’s vocal was electric, and he clearly was a rising star, but it was in 2016, with the release of “Listen” that he finally hit. The project debuted at #1 on Billboard Gospel Albums chart with singles, “I’m Good” and “Fix Me,” getting the most attention.
In October 2015, Tim married Brelyn Freeman, the daughter of ministry leaders, Drs. Mike and DeeDee Freeman. Three years later, he and his wife were ordained as the Music Pastor and Millennial Pastor at Spirit of Faith Christian Center (now rebranded Faith City Central) in Maryland. In October 2024, Tim was named successor to Dr. Mike.
The combination of responsibili-ties as husband, father, pastor, and artist could prove overwhelming, but Tim is committed to manag-ing all aspects with integrity and sensitivity. Recently, he shared, “I am doing my follow up solo pro-ject. I’m back with Rodney Jerkins in the studio.” He also shared his excitement regarding Faith City’s debut music project (June 2024). Meanwhile, he was headlining his first solo tour starting in May and extending through August.
When asked how he describes his artistry? He shared, “I’m like this crazy eccentric artist who fuses a myriad of genres together. I’m like this rock guy, I’m this pop guy. I’m this traditional gospel guy. I’m this praise and worship guy,” he laughs. “It’s oftentimes over the top, but it’s how I feel it. I love people. I love to stand in front of people and take a group of people spiritually from point A to point B, then to point C and tell that story visually. So, I’m like this rockstar type vibe, I would say, but my main thing is live performance.” Indeed…it is!