They said they would never be in a band together, but even as those words rolled off their tongues, Garry Moore and Amanda Graves knew it was the furthest thing from the truth. Fast forward, five years later, and Two Gun Hattie came out with guns a-blazing, killing those “never be” intentions and creating those musical sparks they always knew would ignite, if they joined forces.
Garry, a St. Augustine, Florida native, began playing guitar at 14 years old. Immersing himself in his craft, Garry dropped out of high school at 17 to pursue a career in music. A student of Southern and classic rock, his musical ability started to flourish, as he dove into country, Bluegrass, and jazz. By age 22, he had gained a great deal of success, locally, with the Elwood St. John’s Band – opening for national acts such as Kansas, Charlie Daniels Band, Confederate Railroad, and Marshall Tucker Band. The band’s short, four year life cycle resulted in Garry moving to Texas with a former bandmate, to chase success with The Double Zero Band. In 2009 he met Amanda Graves, and the two started a friendship that quickly blossomed into romance.
A native of Edgewood, TX, Amanda Graves grew up surrounded by music, but never took the stage herself until later in life. Her parents formed the Easy Feeling Band, and her father was the lead singer of the Hooker Ridge Band during most of her younger years. Amanda focused on a golf career in high school – even playing the sport on scholarship at Arkansas State University – but it was not until she graduated from Texas A&M University at Commerce that she committed to pursuing her true passion as a singer/songwriter. Combining a powerful, soulful voice with songwriting that expresses a “different” take on life, Amanda joined forces with Cari Smith and formed the band Shut Down Town, recording an album with Mike McClure and touring for five years, gaining a loyal fan base in Texas and Oklahoma. They shared stages with Mike, Stoney LaRue, Micky and the Motorcars, Maren Morris, Aaron Watson, and Blake Shelton.
Enter the year 2009. The Double Zero Band had just disbanded, after also recording an album with Mike McClure, and Shut Down Town had decided to take a break after Amanda and Garry had their daughter, Hattie. The subsequent opportunity to form their own band was too great for Garry and Amanda to ignore. “It just made sense,” says Amanda of the inevitable pairing. “I had never seen anyone play guitar like Garry, and I knew that if we started a band, it would be something special.” Writing songs together during their relationship gave the two a wealth of material that echoed their personal relationship, so the stage was set. The pair met Chris Rasco, a guitar player looking to play in a more country influenced band, and through a mutual friend, they were also introduced to Jeff and Chris Gafford, a father/son bass and drum duo.