The Cajón Player: How Ashton Bowling Went from a Small Christian Singing Group to the Big Stage

 

Source: The Creekers - Visit Pikeville

From a partly deaf trumpet player to an established cajón player, Bowling is creating a bright future from stage to stage as a member of The Creekers.  

The stage lights surge to life, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Five band members take the stage, Ashton Bowling, the sixth, ready to steal the stage with music from the heart of Bluegrass. 

Now, four years after graduating high school, Bowling is part of the successful Bluegrass band, The Creekers. The band's debut album was titled “Pour Me In the Creek” with popular songs including “Homesick Blues” and “A Cowboy’s Song” and released June 2024. In April 2025, the Creekers released their hit EP River Rat. The song titled “Tennessee” topped the Spotify Viral 50-USA chart this summer. 

Source: Spotify. Screenshot by Jenna Salyers

Their first gig was laid back in Cumberland Gap, TN, at the Caboose Saloon, where he said it was "just friends playing music together and dodging fights for four hours." “The band didn’t even have a name yet,” said Bowling 

The band has played about 50 shows since their first appearance, according to The Creekers' website. Bowling said that performing now is "so different than the first time, now that we're doing it professionally".   

Bowling and his other bandmate, his brother, Jagger Bowling, were working at the Walmart Distribution Center in London, KY, while in the band. Bowling said he worked there "for about 8 months, and Jagger was there for three years." They both decided to quit their jobs to pursue music full-time, "on a random Tuesday," said Bowling.   

There was a lot of conflict between their battling schedules. Bowling said that "work wasn't always understanding". However, he stated that he and his brother always made it work.   

Aaron Ryan attributes them to be "far from one hit wonders" and that "their entire debut album is incredible" in his article for Whiskey Riff. Kennedy Woliver said her favorite songs from the band are "Tennessee and Lay Me Down because they sound like home." 

In the hills of Appalachia, there is no evading bluegrass music. It's at home, at church, and at school. Bowling said he "naturally gravitated to music even at church". He said he is "no songwriter, but they try to incorporate southern roots" into their sound.   

Bowling said the "band isn't like family, they are family." Jagger Bowling is his brother, and vocalist Allen is now the brothers' cousin-in-law. He said that "the dynamic works out for us and we wouldn't have it any other way".   

Bowling's family is supporting his music career at every turn. Joann Salyers, Bowlings’ great aunt, states that "his mother goes to almost every one of his shows" and that "his grandmother couldn't be prouder of her grandsons."    

Born and raised in Leslie County, KY, Bowling attended a private Christian K-12 school with about 200 students. Bowling said that "it was in the middle of nowhere" and "difficult to find anything to do". So, he turned to the one thing no one thought he could do: play music.   

As a young boy, Bowling was "a loner and kept to himself," according to Salyers. He also had severe inner ear problems that led to being "90% deaf in my left ear," according to Bowling. When he decided to take up the trumpet, everyone was surprised.   

"When I was in the 5th grade, I wanted to play the trumpet, but I had ear surgery and my band teacher, Mr. Smallwood, said playing the trumpet would put pressure on my ears." With limited options, Bowling took on the cajón, a small box percussion instrument played while sitting on it, according to Musical Instrument Hub.   

Bowling said that the cajón is "one of the most universal instruments in the world" to play. After starting in the Red Bird Christian School band, Bowling joined a group called the Cardinal Singers. A small group of 16 choir and band students is selected for the traveling tour each year according to the Red Bird Christian School website. During Bowling's time in the group, they went to many different states, including New York and Ohio.    

Woliver graduated from Red Bird Christian with Bowling. She states that he "was always fun to be around and always had such a good attitude". She remembers him as part of the Cardinal Singers, and "they were always leaving school for a week at a time, travelling."