Raymond DeArmond Bowman (September 4, 1917 – November 30, 2001) was an American classical, jazz and ethnic (world) music critic, concert promoter and writer, based in Southern California.

He was born in Green Valley, Bath County, Virginia, but moved to Long Beach, California, with his family at the age of 3, As a child, he became a prodigy violinist, encouraged by his mother, who had a love of classical music.

Among them were jazz pianist Marv Jenkins, flamenco guitarists Clark Allen and Rene Heredia, and Balinese dancer Devi Dja.

On June 1, 1960, he married the former Estrellita (Lita) Santos, a local radio celebrity and announcer at station KMPC, who had 2 children from a previous marriage, Leslieanne and Robert Christian (Anderson).

In 1962, they had a son, Raymond D. Bowman, Jr. By the 1960s, he evolved to become a major concert presenter of classical and jazz music in the Los Angeles performing arts scene.

For nearly 20 years he presented the "Monday Night Concert Series" at the Ice House in Pasadena when it was a venue for folk music, as well as a comedy club.

In 1962 Bowman teamed with dance legend Ruth St. Denis to bring the first full-length Balinese Shadow Puppet play to the United States.

The performance was held at her studio located at 3433 Cahuenga Boulevard West (near Universal City) on Sunday, September 16, 1962, and lasted more than 8 hours.

Many famous artists gave one-man shows there, including Mae Babitz, Edgar Payne (posthumously), Leonora Cetone Starr, and Innocenzo Daraio.

He was a classical music critic for the South Bay Daily Breeze during the 1970s and was a fixture at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during the symphony and opera seasons.

He adored long conversations with "intellectuals" and would engage them in unlimited discussions on fine art, music, and literature until late in the night.

At his funeral were his wife Lita, his stepson Christian (who served as pall-bearer), and members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association he had befriended over the years, who are mostly ex-Navy personnel.