Perry Buster Bio
Perry Buster was born August 11, 1935, in Billstown, Arkansas, which is between Delight and Murfreesboro, Arkansas.
Like many musicians of years gone by, Perry had no formal musical training. “My Dad played guitar, but didn’t own one, “ says Buster. “I plucked around on one of Our neighbors. One day when I was around twelve years old, I saw an old Montgomery Ward guitar in a barber shop window that had a for-sale sign on it. I told my Dad about it, and a few days later he brought it home. Dad showed me
How to play a few chords on it, and after about three days I was told by my mom and dad that if I was going to practice, it would have to be outside.”
“Every Saturday night we’d all go over to the neighbors house and listen to the Grand Ole Opry on their battery powered radio. Between that the neighborhood “musicals” and “jam sessions” is mostly where I learned to play the guitar”.
Perry went to school in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, through the eighth grade. In 1951 his dad went to Pateros, Washington to work on the Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River, so his family joined him. Perry attended Pateros High School and was very active in all sports. He and his buddies played music at high school functions, PTA’s and a different Women’s Auxilary functions around Okanogan counties.
“The summer after I graduated from high school, I went back to Arkansas for a visit. One of my friends was going to a small junior college in Tennessee and suggested I go back with him and go to school. I did, and while there, we organized a band and played more music than books! We played for BBQ shows and “Junior Grand Ole Opry” in Kentucky.”
After two years in Tennessee, Buster moved to Cheney, Washington, to continue his education at Eastern Washington University. Naturally, it wasn’t long before he and his old high school buddy, Dan Miller from Pateros and another buddy, Merc Cannell formed “The Stompers” Band. They played for college dances and other functions in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana and Canada. In 1960, while at Eastern University, “The Stompers” recorded “Blue Moon of Kentucky” sang by Buster and a pair of songs written and sung by Merc Cannell.
Merc, Dan, and Me
After college, Buster found employment, and within two months, got drafted in the Army where he had his basic training outside of Monterey, Ca. in Fort Ord. He had 16 weeks training in Augusta, Georgia, at Fort Gordon, and then on to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, where he served all of his active duty in the 8th Calvery,
4th Infantry Division.
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