Cowboy Buddha is a "roots-rock" band from Costa Mesa, California. They play a blend of 70's rock, 50's country and 80's DIY rock music... Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Lou Reed, The Minutemen, The Stooges, Burt Bacharach, Uncle Tupelo, Neil Young, Ray Davies, REM, Camper Van Beethoven, Cole Porter, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gene Clark, The Rolling Stones-The Beatles-The Who, Nick Cave, merle haggard, Duane Allman, Dylan & the Band, Brian Eno and Muddy Waters can all be listed as major influences on the sound Cowboy Buddha has tried to forge. The band wants to bridge the gap between garage-punk and roots oriented pop music. "Maybe we can breathe some life into the lame stuff that passes for pop-music these days," Fletcher has said.

Fletcher Harrington started the band in 1995 and began playing in the coffeehouses around Orange County, California. He had just moved to California from Mississippi. The band's rooster of musicians changed frequently during the next few years. Fletcher says, "When you play original music, you don't make a lot of money". The band performed in most of the rock/punk clubs around the area - The Tiki Bar, Club Mesa, The Doll Hut, Hoagie Barmichaels, The Rockville Tavern, J.J.'s, 14 Bellow, Mugs Away Saloon, The Anthill Pub & Grill and many more that have since been forgotten. Fletcher always says he feels it is important to play in front of people as often as possible. "I don't want to hide in a studio or garage like many other musicians that I know". It is during this time that the band released the two tapes, "Bone Crushing Cowboy Love" and "Truckstop Zen". They then recorded the short CD's "Six Strand Raw-Hide Rope" and "Rootless, Godless & Free". Most of the songs from these EP's can now be found on the compilation CD, "Guns Ammo Bait Film Gifts Snacks Maps".

The Current line-up of the band includes: Gary Hollon on guitar, Jim Schmerbauch on drums, Bob McCalister on bass and vocals, and Neil McQueen on keyboards and vocals. Gary used to play guitar in a band called "The Moderns". He played gigs with The Go-Gos, The Knack and many other early 80s New Wave/Punk bands. Jim has been playing drums since the 60s. He's jammed with Frank Zappa, Blondie and almost every other band that toured the Southwest in the 70s and 80s. Jim has played professional venues up and down the coast. Neil has been on stages and in studios throughout Southern California and the Southwest. These veteran musicians have lent their wealth of experience to help bring a new sound to Cowboy Buddha. They plan to release these recordings within the next few months.