[1][4] He is a founding member of alternative country and Paisley Underground band the Long Ryders,[3] and Senior Vice President and Head of A&R at Warner Chappell Music in the United States.

While he was still in elementary school, his older brother went to college and left Sowders his Rolling Stones, Beatles, Beach Boys, and Chuck Berry collections.

"[7] In the late 1970s, he became interested in punk rock,[8] and would cite the Ramones, Patti Smith, the Stooges, the Dictators, the Blasters, and X as his favorite artists at the time.

State of Our Union became the band's best selling album[17] and included their UK chart single[18] and signature song "Looking for Lewis and Clark".

The band continued in the same musical vein as the Long Ryders and later relocated to England without Sowders, who had retired from performing.

[17] Sowders did, however, occasionally do live performances[20] and studio sessions with the Coal Porters,[17] guesting on their albums Rebels Without Applause (1991), Land of Hope and Crosby (1994) and Los London (1995).

He managed the rock, alternative and urban music divisions, working with artists like the Black Crowes, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Nickelback, Staind, Rufus Wainwright, and Smash Mouth.

"[5] By 2018, Sowders' career signings included Katy Perry, Green Day, the Deftones, Slash, David Byrne, and Rob Zombie, and the same year he extended his employment at Warner Chappell.