Donna the Buffalo

Donna the Buffalo
At the Festival International 2010 in Lafayette, Louisiana
Background information
Also known as Dawn of the Buffalo
Origin New York, USA
Genres Zydeco, folk rock, country rock, reggae, bluegrass
Years active 1989–present
Associated acts BK3, Jim Lauderdale
Website donnatheBuffalo.com
Members Tara Nevins
Jeb Puryear
Mark Raudabaugh
David McCracken
Kyle Spark
Past members Joe Thrift
Richie Stearns
Jennie Stearns
Kathy Ziegler
Tom Gilbert
Shane Lamphier
Jimmy Triplett
Jim Miller
Jordon Puryear
Jed Greenberg
Bill Reynolds
Jay Sanders
Vic Stafford

Donna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. They play both originals (primarily written by Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins) and covers.

The band name was suggested as "Dawn of the Buffalo" by a musician friend of the band; it was misheard as "Donna the Buffalo", and over twenty years later they are still "Donna the Buffalo". The followers of the group are called The Herd, a self-organized "tribe" of people who found each other at the group's live events.[1]

Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding and host bands of the annual Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance along with the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and headliners at The Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, New York. Donna the Buffalo was featured in On The Bus, a documentary co-directed by Dave Sale.

Donna the Buffalo has performed and/or recorded with a variety of musicians, including such prominent folk/roots performers as Jim Lauderdale, father and son Zydeco masters Preston and Keith Frank, Bela Fleck, Mamadou Diabate, Claire Lynch, David Hidalgo, The Duhks and Amy Helm, to name a few. In 2009, Tara Nevins toured with former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann's band BK3.

Members

  • Tara Nevins - vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, washboard, occasional backup vocals, tambourine.
  • Jeb Puryear - electric guitar, occasional pedal steel, rare backup vocals, vocals
  • Mark Raudabaugh - drums
  • David McCracken - electric keyboard, organ
  • Kyle Spark - electric bass, backing vocals
Tara Nevins
Jeb Puryear

Songwriting duties are generally split between Nevins and Puryear. Past members have included keyboardists Joe Thrift, Richie Stearns and Kathy Ziegler, drummers Tom Gilbert, Shane Lamphier and Jimmy Triplett, as well as guitarist and frequent vocalist Jim Miller. Jeb's brother, Jordon Puryear, played bass for the group for a while, as did Jed Greenberg. As of July 5, 2007 Jay Sanders replaced Bill Reynolds on bass, followed in Jan 2010 by Kyle Spark.

Discography

  • The White Tape (1989)
  • The Red Tape (1991)
  • Donna the Buffalo (a.k.a. The Purple One) (1993)
  • The Ones You Love (1996)
  • Rockin' In the Weary Land (1998)
  • Positive Friction (2000)
  • Live From the American Ballroom (2001)
  • Life's A Ride (2005)
  • Silverlined (2008)
  • Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday (2013)

References

  1. ↑ interview with Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins, The Americana Music Show, episode 147, released July 8, 2013
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