Donna the Buffalo
Encyclopedia
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 plays primarily in the Midwest and on the East Coast of the United States
. The followers of the group are called The Herd. The name was suggested by a musician friend of the band; they liked it, and over twenty years later they are still "Donna the Buffalo".
The story is often told that the band's name had its origins in their first live performance, when an inebriated M.C. misheard their newly-chosen name, "Dawn of the Buffalo", and introduced them instead as "Donna the Buffalo". According to the story the name stuck. This story, despite its legend on The Herd's mailing list, is not only false, but had its origins as a prank on the members of that list and members of the media.
Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding and host band 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
and Bud Selig.
Donna the Buffalo has performed and/or recorded with a variety of musicians including 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.
Surrealist artist Yanni Osmond and his partner Spanky the Woman Tamer licensed some of Donna the Buffalo's music for their upcoming cartoon Living Evil.
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 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.
Trumansburg, New York
Trumansburg is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 1,581 at the 2000 census. The name is a variant spelling of the surname of the founder, Abner Treman...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They play both originals (primarily written by Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins) and covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
.
The band plays primarily in the Midwest and on the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. The followers of the group are called The Herd. The name was suggested by a musician friend of the band; they liked it, and over twenty years later they are still "Donna the Buffalo".
The story is often told that the band's name had its origins in their first live performance, when an inebriated M.C. misheard their newly-chosen name, "Dawn of the Buffalo", and introduced them instead as "Donna the Buffalo". According to the story the name stuck. This story, despite its legend on The Herd's mailing list, is not only false, but had its origins as a prank on the members of that list and members of the media.
Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding and host band of the annual Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance
Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance
Starting in 1991, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is an annual festival held the second-to-last weekend of July in Trumansburg, New York, a small town ten miles north of Ithaca. The GrassRoots Festival, or simply GrassRoots, as it is known, draws nearly 20,000 visitors...
along with the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival is a music and dance festival that takes place each spring and fall in Silk Hope, North Carolina, near Chapel Hill. The festival takes place on a farmstead which is managed by Shakori Hills, Inc. a non-profit organization. The festival has been held twice...
and headliners at The Great Blue Heron Music Festival
The Great Blue Heron Music Festival
The Great Blue Heron Music Festival is an annual festival held the first or second weekend of July in Sherman, New York, a small town in the Amish country side of Western New York. The Great Blue Heron Music Festival, or simply Blue Heron, as it is known, draws several thousand visitors throughout...
in Sherman, New York
Sherman (town), New York
Sherman is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The town is an interior town in the county, west of Chautauqua Lake. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,553...
. Donna the Buffalo was featured in On The Bus, a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
co-directed by Dave Sale
Dave Sale
Born David Kirkpatrick Sale on August 21, 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri, Dave Sale is an American Singer-Songwriter who achieved notability as “Camus” with his top-40 hit “U Who” from 1997’s “Sins of The Father” a release on Atlantic Records which also had a song featured on Baywatch episode "Out of...
and Bud Selig.
Donna the Buffalo has performed and/or recorded with a variety of musicians including Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
, father and son Zydeco masters Preston and Keith Frank
Keith Frank
Keith Frank is a zydeco musician from Louisiana. Frank started his band, The Soileau Zydeco Band, in 1990 and was active as of 2010. Frank is a 1998 graduate of McNeese State University.Frank records on Soulwood Records.-Studio Albums/EP:...
, Bela Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
, Mamadou Diabate
Mamadou Diabaté
Mamadou Diabaté is a kora player. He began playing quite early in his life, became known as a musician in the area of Mali in which he lived, and has since moved to the United States, recording several albums.-Life and career:...
, Claire Lynch
Claire Lynch
Claire Lynch , is an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and session vocalist who joined her first band, then called Hickory Wind, in 1973...
, David Hidalgo
David Hidalgo
David Hidalgo is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. He is also a member of the supergroup Los Super Seven and of the Latin Playboys, a side project band made up of some of the members of Los Lobos...
, The Duhks
The Duhks
The Duhks is a band from Winnipeg, Canada.The members play a blend of Canadian soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, their music draws heavily on all of the North American musical traditions,...
and Amy Helm, to name a few. In 2009, Tara Nevins toured with former Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
drummer Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
's band BK3.
Surrealist artist Yanni Osmond and his partner Spanky the Woman Tamer licensed some of Donna the Buffalo's music for their upcoming cartoon Living Evil.
Members
- Tara Nevins - vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, washboard, occasional backup vocals
- Jeb Puryear - electric guitar, occasional pedal steel, rare backup vocals, vocals
- Mark Raudabaugh - drums
- David McCracken - electric keyboard, organ
- Kyle Spark - electric bass
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 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)