Terry Buffalo Ware is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Early life

Ware grew up in the Northwest

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

town of Woodward. He attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

and graduated in 1972 with a degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

professional writing Professional writing is writing for reward or as a profession; as a product or object, professional writing is any form of written communication produced in a workplace environment or context that enables employees to, for example, communicate effe ...

. He studied piano for 10 years beginning at age 9. He began playing guitar at age 14, and is self-taught. He also played the

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

in his high school band, and was in the Pride of Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma's

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

, for one year. While still in high school, Ware played guitar in The Debtor Group, which performed regularly throughout Northwest Oklahoma and the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

panhandle. The band Sailor which Ware formed in college was a local fixture in Oklahoma music scene of the early 1970s.

Career

After graduating college, Ware moved to

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, where he met

Ray Wylie Hubbard Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter. Early life Hubbard was born on November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W. ...

. He and Hubbard formed Ray Wylie Hubbard and the Cowboy Twinkies, a group which still enjoys

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

. Hubbard and the Cowboy Twinkies performed all over the country from 1973 to 1979, including a stint at the

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and tours with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

. When the Cowboy Twinkies disbanded, Ware formed The Sensational Shoes in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

. This group enjoyed great regional popularity through the mid-1980s. Ware also released his debut album ''Caffeine Dreams'' in 1981. Ware rejoined Hubbard in 1986, and the duo performed all over the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and overseas. Ware's guitar work on Hubbard's ''Lost Train of Thought'' (1992) was critically acclaimed, as was his work on the 1994 release ''Loco Gringo's Lament'' and 1997's ''Dangerous Spirits''. Ware performed with

Jimmy LaFave Jimmy LaFave (July 12, 1955 – May 21, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer ...

from 1997-2000, giving many notable performances such as the July 31, 1999,

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

Summerstage The City Parks Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that provides free arts, sports, education, and community-building programs in parks across New York City. Founded in 1989, the Foundation operates in more than 400 parks, recre ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 1999, Ware was named a Texas Tornado by ''

Buddy Magazine ''Buddy'' is a free monthly music magazine serving the North Texas and Northeast Texas regions. It was first published in Austin, Texas, in October 1972 as a free bi-monthly. Stoney Burns ''(pseudonym'' of Brent Lasalle Stein; 1942–2011) and Ro ...

''. The Buddy Texas Tornados are "an elite corp of the Lone Star State's finest musicians." Since 2000, Ware has been a freelance guitarist backing artists including Ray Wylie Hubbard,

John Fullbright John Fullbright (born April 23, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter from Okemah, Oklahoma. While still in high school, Fullbright performed at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah. In 2009 he released the album ''Live at the Blue Door' ...

Joel Rafael Joel Rafael is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician from San Diego County, California. Rafael's second volume to celebrate the songs of Woody Guthrie, was released on Appleseed in 2005. The first volume, ''Woodeye'', was released on ...

Michael Fracasso Michael Fracasso is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. His music spans Country music, country and rock as he sings in a high tenor that evokes the "high lonesome" sound of early Country music, country. He was a regular performer at th ...

Eliza Gilkyson Eliza Gilkyson (born August 24, 1950, Hollywood, California) is an American folk musician based in Taos, New Mexico.Gilkyson moved her base from Austin, Texas, to Taos in 2020. Gilkyson is a two-time Grammy Award nominee, receiving a nomination ...

, Smokey & the Mirror,

Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (born April 30, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. ...

, Audrey Auld,

Susan Herndon Susan Herndon is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The ''Tulsa World'' has called her one of the "region's most talented musicians;" while the (now-defunct) free paper ''Urban Tulsa Weekly'' has praised Herndon's ability to "de ...

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American retired singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of Rock music, rock, Country music, country and Gospel music, gospel. She was among th ...

, Don Conoscenti, Monica Taylor, Mary Reynolds, Red Dirt Rangers, Sam Baker, Greg Jacobs,

Ellis Paul Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, p ...

, Camille Harp,

Iain Matthews Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthew ...

, Sandy Rogers, and many others. In 2003, Ware and the legendary singer-songwriter

Bob Childers Robert Wayne Childers (November 20, 1946 – April 22, 2008) was an American country music, country-folk music, folk musician and singer-songwriter from the state of Oklahoma. Both before and after his death, he achieved widespread critical acc ...

recorded ''Two Buffalos Walking-Live at The Blue Door''. With John Fullbright, he performed on the 2013

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

pre-telecast, and on the David Letterman show in August 2014. Ware has also released 12 CDs on his own label OkieMotion Records, ''Buffalo Tracks'' (2001), ''Ridin' the Reverb Range'' (2004), ''Reverb Confidential'' (2007), ''Reverb Babylon'' (2011), ''Everybody's Got One'' with Gregg Standridge (2015), ''Man With Guitar and Amp'' (2016), ''Aren't You a Little Old for This?'' (2018), ''Into The Dwell (''2019), ''Isolation Reverberation (''2020), ''Covered Tracks (''2021), ''Buffarama Chronicles Vol. 1 (''2023), and ''Buffarama Chronicles Vol. 2 (''2024). In December 2011, ''Reverb Babylon'' was named one of the Top Ten Best Albums of 2011 by the

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...

. Ware has performed at every

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is held annually in mid-July to commemorate the life and music of Woody Guthrie. The festival is held on the weekend closest to July 14 – the date of Guthrie's birth – in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma ...

since it began in 1998, and has led the house band and served as master of ceremonies for the Hoot for Huntington's since 2003. Among the artists he has backed or performed with at the festival are

David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.

, Ronny Elliot,

The Burns Sisters The Burns Sisters are an American folk music group from Ithaca, New York. The group has performed and recorded with various siblings, most recently consisting of sisters Marie and Annie. They have toured with Arlo Guthrie, providing backup vocals ...

, Rob McNurlin, Emma's Revolution,

Kris Delmhorst Kris Delmhorst is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Originally from Brooklyn, New York City, United States, she now lives in Western Massachusetts, is an active member of the Boston folk scene, and tours internationally. She has re ...

, Nancy Apple and many others.

Discography

*''Buffarama Chronicles'', 2024 *''Buffarama Chronicles'', 2023 *''Covered Tracks'', 2021 *''Isolation Reverberation'', 2020 *''Into The Dwell'', 2019 *''Aren't You a Little Old for This?'', 2018 *''Man With Guitar and Amp'', 2016 * ''Everybody's Got One'', Terry Buffalo Ware and Gregg Standridge, 2015 * ''Reverb Babylon'', 2011 * ''Reverb Confidential'', 2007 * ''Ridin' the Reverb Range'', 2004 * ''Two Buffalos Walking - Live at The Blue Door'', Bob Childers and Terry Buffalo Ware, 2003 * ''Buffalo Tracks'', 2001 * ''Caffeine Dreams'', 1981 ;Appears on the following recordings: * ''Ray Wylie Hubbard & The Cowboy Twinkies'', 1975 * ''Off the Wall'', Ray Wylie Hubbard, 1978 * ''The Clovis Roblaine Story'', Clovis Roblaine, 1979 * ''Oklahoma Bossa Nova'', Steve Weichert, 1979 * ''Lost Train of Thought'', Ray Wylie Hubbard, 1992 * ''Loco Gringo's Lament'', Ray Wylie Hubbard, 1994 * ''Dangerous Spirits'', Ray Wylie Hubbard, 1997 * ''Miles from Here'', Macon Greyson, 1999 * ''Gecko Canyon'', The Banded Geckos, 2000 * ''Staring Down the Sun'', Red Dirt Rangers, 2002 * ''Land of a Thousand Surf Guitars'', The Plungers, 2002 * ''Guitars Gone Wild'', The Plungers, 2003 * ''Evil Fuzz'', Davie Allan Tribute, 2004 * ''Restless Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Bob Childers'', various artists, 2004 * ''Bitter Sweet'', Dante, 2005 * ''The Stone Soup Sessions'', John Egenes, 2011 * ''The Wind and the Weeds'', Wendy Allyn, 2011 * ''Lucky Live'', Greg Jacobs, 2011 * ''From the Ground Up'', John Fullbright, 2012 * ''Songs'', John Fullbright, 2014 * ''Vagabonde'', Susan Herndon, 2015 * ''Thin Black Line'', Smokey & the Mirror, 2015 Produced the following recordings: * ''Don't Let Go'', T.Z. Wright, 2015 * ''Old Habits Die Hard'', Shawna LaRee, 2015 * ''End of Summer'', Heartbreak Rodeo, 2018

References

* Savage, William W. ''Singing Cowboys and All That Jazz: A Short History of Popular Music in Oklahoma'', University of Oklahoma Press, 1983, pp. 165–168. * Sellars, Tony. The Mysterious Musician, ''Oklahoma Music'', Spring 2003, pp. 51–52.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Terry Buffalo Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Woodward, Oklahoma American male composers 21st-century American composers Guitarists from Oklahoma American male guitarists 21st-century American male musicians People from Norman, Oklahoma