Bruce Govan is a busker who sings on the street for donations, which he sends weekly to the Domestic Violence Services (DVS) of Snohomish County. He has committed $5,000 a year and, so far, is on track to exceed that in the three years he’s been singing on 1st Street in Snohomish.
That’s a lot of donations, usually in the form of spare change and small bills, that people throw into his donation jar. He does this from his good heart and commitment to making the world a better place.
“I heard Sen. Patty Murray do a presentation about Domestic Violence Services, and she said one out of four women and one out of nine men in Washington experience domestic violence. It’s a crisis of pandemic proportions,” Govan says. “The DVS folks seemed like an incredible group of people, and I thought I could do something that could help them.”
Bruce Govan’s Music History
Retired from a career in the restaurant business and then doing inspections for insurance companies, Govan has time to do what he loves and does so well – sing and strum. He’s no newcomer to music. Govan began performing in high school in Detroit, where he was the lead singer in a rock and roll band. “We were pretty good,” he says. The group did so well that they won the Battle of the Bands in the city of Detroit one year.
After graduation, the band broke up, and the members moved on to other careers. One became a lawyer who argued and won a case in front of the Supreme Court, and another went to Caltech and developed a unique recording technique.
Govan let his music take him on a journey. HAIR came to town, held auditions, and he made it into the cast, which included Meatloaf! When that run ended, he joined the touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing Judas.
His interest in music didn’t wane, but he saw that the industry wasn’t always kind to people. Many musicians had a rough time, and that wasn’t his path. He felt a need for spirituality in his life and found a group that met his needs and where he thought he was contributing. He helped work the 300 acres the group owned, and with the products they made to raise money – candles, macrame, and turquoise jewelry. It was also where he met his wife and where his two daughters were born. “It was an idealistic time in my life,” he says. “And what a gift I got – my daughters.”
Having a family and all that involves led him to different work. The family moved around a bit. He got a job managing restaurants. They finally decided the cold in the Midwest was too much, so they began to look for another part of the country. When they got to Seattle, Govan discovered nobody had screens on their windows. Used to giant mosquitoes in Michigan and Wisconsin, the lack of screens meant to him that mosquitoes wouldn’t be a problem in Seattle, so they put down stakes in the Pacific Northwest. After ten years in the restaurant business, he landed in the insurance inspection industry.
When he retired, Govan had time to devote to his music. “I don’t need the money,” he says. “This is what I love to do, sing on the street, entertain people. Now I get to do something worthwhile at the same time.”
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County is a worthy beneficiary. Providing a confidential shelter, housing services, legal services, and support groups, it is a lifeline for anyone in Snohomish County experiencing intimate partner violence.
Humbled by what DVS does and grateful he can help, Govan’s weekly busking goes to a worthwhile cause. “Women will show up with just the shirt on her back and maybe a little something in her purse, maybe with a child or children. DVS finds a place for her, gives her the help she needs,” Govan says.
“That’s amazing for someone to take the time and the effort to do that,” says Debra Bordsen, CEO of DVS. “It shows that anybody can help any organization at any level and in many different ways. What Bruce Govan does every week is wonderful, generous, and, in addition to the financial support, helps raise awareness in the community about the important work we are doing.”
When Govan first started, he didn’t contact DVS; he just started sending them money, depositing whatever he made on the street that week and sending them a check. In the first year, he sent $5377.82.
Govan plays in the same place every week, in front of Joyworks, a woman-owned business selling clothing, blankets, housewares, and anything a young parent might need. Before he started playing there, he went in to introduce himself and asked if it would be okay. Jana Johnson, who owns Joyworks, was happy to have him outside. “People really enjoy his music,” she says. He also checked with the city of Snohomish to see if busking was allowed on the street. They told him they welcomed him to do that.
The first year, he sent Johnson a thank-you note for letting him play in front of the store. “He’s just a really nice, kind man,” she says.
More About Bruce Govan
Bruce Govan has a lovely voice, mainly singing covers – John Denver, Cat Stevens, the Eagles, the BGs. There are other opportunities to hear him than on the street corner. He plays every Wednesday night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ten 01 Club in Everett. You can also hear Bruce Govan on Soundcloud here.
In addition to what he sings while busking, Govan developed an interest in learning the healing songs of the Lakota, and he continues to perform healing ceremonies. Earlier in July, he participated in a bear ceremony in which participants were up all night singing to honor the bear, thought to have potent healing powers. In fact, bears dig for roots and herbs, and the Lakota believe there is a lot to be learned from them.
The origin of the word busker is probably Spanish and means not only to sing on the street but to seek. Bruce Govan is a talented man who seeks – and inspires – the good in people’s hearts.
Hear him every Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Snohomish. You can feel terrific about putting your money in his tip jar.
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