Who's Who In Donna the Buffalo
Be sure to read the official band bios on the band's official site, www.DonnaTheBuffalo.com.
 Jeb Puryear (guitar, vocals, pedal steel)Old time music was the first love of lead guitarist and DtB founding member Jeb Puryear. Jeb started his musical career on fiddle at a very young age, and still plays fiddle when performing one of the infrequent gigs of his first band, the Bubba George String Band, who traditionally open the Trumansburg (NY) GrassRoots Festival each July. With Donna the Buffalo, Jeb almost always plays electric guitar--a Stratocaster, though in early 2006 he began to occasionally play a Kent electric. Infrequently, he'll also play pedal steel or acoustic guitar. Jeb writes and sings half of DtB's songs, and serves as the informal spokesman for the band's political and social conscience. |
 Tara Nevins (guitar, fiddle, accordion, scrubboard, vocals)Like Jeb Puryear, multi-instrumentalist Tara Nevins has been a member of Donna the Buffalo since the band formed in 1987. While onstage with DtB, Tara divides her time among playing fiddle, accordion, acoustic guitar, and scrubboard, sometimes switching among instruments during a single song. Tara's vocal contributions are a major component of the band's unique sound. Tara writes and sings half of DtB's songs. Previously, she was a member of the all-female old time/Cajun band the Heartbeats, and has 2 solo CDs: 1999's Mule to Ride, which she released on Sugar Hill Records, and 2011's Wood and Stone, which was produced by Larry Campbell. |
 David McCracken (keyboards)David McCracken first played with Donna the Buffalo by filling in for former keyboardist Kathy Ziegler while KZ was on maternity leave in 2006. Dave continued to sit in with the band whenever the opportunity presented itself, and became a full-time member in March 2008. He plays Hammond B3 organ, Rhodes, Wurlitzer EP, clavinet, and piano, and has performed with Buddy Guy, CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana band, Johnny Neel, Fred Wesley, John Paul Jones, Everyone Orchestra, Cyril Lance, Sam Frazier, The Believers, Cosmic Charlie and Folkswaggin. |
 Kyle Spark (bass)Kyle Spark officially joined Donna the Buffalo in February 2010, although he had sat in with the band before then. Bass has always just felt like home to Kyle. He starting playing as a freshman in high school. When his band director asked if he wanted to try bass in the jazz band, Kyle took home a '80s Ampeg Big Stud bass and got right into it. The Massachusetts native is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. When he's not performing with Donna the Buffalo, Kyle plays bass for Neal McCarthy. |
 Mark Raudabaugh (drums)Mark joined Donna the Buffalo in mid-2011. He received a music (jazz) scholarship to Florida State University, where he studied under Leon Anderson Jr. (drummer for Ellis Marsalis, Marcus Roberts). Mark has toured the US, Canada, and Japan with artists Bobby Lee Rodgers and The CodeTalkers and Papa Mali. He also has played with Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie, Jeff Beck, Hank Williams Jr.), Charice (Oprah, David Foster), Bobby Sparks and Keith Anderson (Marcus Miller Band, Roy Hargrove & RH Factor), Andreas Oberg (Swedish jazz guitar virtuoso), Lee Fields (Dap-Kings), Grant Green Jr., Soulphonics and Ruby Velle, and Delta Moon.
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