Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to Introduce Sir Harry Bowens, A Gentleman, and Musical Scholar

Why do people call you "Sir Harry"?
One night we sung at the Royal Albert Hall.  I was singing one of the songs off the album Anytime Lisa. A writer from one of newspapers wrote, "The smooth styling of Sir Harry Bowen's..."
I kept that title ever since.

Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. That’s where I got my musical education, and that’s where I learned that the word Entertainment meant you not only had to sing good, but you had to entertain the people as well. The Detroit audience was hard on anyone who was not polished. So you had to work on your craft. Yes, I had to work very hard at developing my technique so I would look professional.

Did you have a band or group out there?
Yes, I had an Acapella group called The Sincere Sincerities.  We fashioned ourselves after the Temptations. (Get it) Tempting Temptations!  I also worked with a band called Amalgamated Funk Company; I played the piano and sang lead vocals. My next band was called The Ebony Set.  This  band played more jazz music. Then there is Midnight Sky. This band played all the popular music that was currently out at the time.

I also did some work with some vocal groups in the city. I did vocal arrangements for Citation a male vocal group, and the Ridgeway Sisters, these ladies sung in the movie Blues Brothers 2000, with Aretha Franklin and James Brown.

Did you ever dance Salsa in Detroit?
No I never danced salsa at home, but I did dance Cha Cha Cha. A lot of the music that was out at the time had lots of rhythms, so you could dance Cha Cha Cha, to Marvin Gaye’s Stubborn Kind of Fellow. Or Mary Wells' You Beat Me to the Punch.  Because I was a musician I could hear a lot of what was played in the music.
No I never danced salsa at home, but I did dance Cha Cha Cha. A lot of the music that was out at the time had lots of rhythms, so you could dance Cha Cha Cha, to Marvin Gaye’s Stubborn Kind of Fellow. Or Mary Wells' You Beat Me to the Punch.  Because I was a musician I could hear a lot of what was played in the music.
No I never danced salsa at home, but I did dance Cha Cha Cha. A lot of the music that was out at the time had lots of rhythms, so you could dance Cha Cha Cha, to Marvin Gaye’s Stubborn Kind of Fellow. Or Mary Wells' You Beat Me to the Punch.  Because I was a musician I could hear a lot of what was played in the music.

What other forms of dance do you know?
In Detroit, we did a dance called Bop.  Bop was the biggest thing out there. When I was growing up, there were lots of people perfecting step and creating new ways of moving on the dance floor. I love the footwork in this dance because, you could be aerobic or you could be cool, or you could be smooth... between cool and smooth is where I like to be most of the time. You also had to develop a slow dance style to; we called this Ballroom Dancing.
In Detroit, we did a dance called Bop.  Bop was the biggest thing out there. When I was growing up, there were lots of people perfecting step and creating new ways of moving on the dance floor. I love the footwork in this dance because, you could be aerobic or you could be cool, or you could be smooth... between cool and smooth is where I like to be most of the time. You also had to develop a slow dance style to; we called this Ballroom Dancing.

I was very good at this, because you got to be close to the ladies. So you had to be a gentleman at all times, or you never got to dance with any woman. As we all know, girls will talk. I got a very good reputation as a dancer. I learned good dance ethics early.

Oh yes Bop is what you call Swing.

How did you develop your unique dance style?
Dancing for me was a way of expressing my feelings. So when I come to dance, I’m coming, first have a good time, and to see what I can create on the dance floor.
Dancing for me was a way of expressing my feelings. So when I come to dance, I’m coming, first have a good time, and to see what I can create on the dance floor.
Dancing for me was a way of expressing my feelings. So when I come to dance, I’m coming, first have a good time, and to see what I can create on the dance floor.

If you have someone you can communicate with, (just body contact not verbal), then this is the challenge. Now the Man and the Woman have to create, with out even thinking of what to do together. So I learned that the man is the lead, and she is the extension of his lead. So if she's looking, I'm looking good too. Remember I told you early in this interview that you had to work on your craft, because I'm coming first to have a good time, being watched by some the best dancers in town. Now it has carried over to my Latin Dancing, I’m still trying to perfect my leadership skills - making a woman feel comfortable and safe in my arms.

Tell us about your Dance Group, The Mambo Men. I’ve seen you perform, and you’re quite incredible! Who was the Master Mind behind the creation of the Mambo Men?
Mike Bello was the one who taught us the shines that we perform. We would come together and dance with him for hours. So we learned the shines, then we needed a name for ourselves. So we called ourselves the Mambo Men.