Gary Small Biography

Gary Small is an accomplished guitarist and vocalist, raised in the wilds of Montana and Wyoming. Small is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe whose reservation resides in remote Southeast Montana to the east of Little Bighorn Battlefield. Small takes great pride in his heritage and talks of his roots proudly and with confidence.

For 15 years, Small led the Portland Oregon based group, The Gary Small Band, a roots rock group of outstanding musicians whose percussion section members include: Graham Lear, former drummer of Santana, and former member Joe Cocker percussionist Bobby Torres. Small led this all-star group through myriad music styles of Afro-Cuban,Reggae, Roots Rock, and Blues.

One Music critic summed it up:

...Small's guitar playing so reminiscent of Carlos Santana it's stunning. In fact it wouldn't be unfair to say Small could become the Santana of Native American music, translating his history through myriad musical forms in a way that speaks on several levels.

John Graham, Willamette Week

Small won national acclaim as a solo artist with the release of his third CD entitled "Wild Indians". Released in 2001 "Wild Indians" won the prestigious Native American Music Awards (Nammys) "Songwriter of the Year" award. Small went on to win three other Native American Music Awards: Best Rock Recording, Best Male Artist, and most recently, Best World Music for his 2013 release "Hostiles & Renegades."

Small was featured on the Oregon Public Broadcast Television show, Oregon Art Beat and was the musical guest for Wyoming Public Radio, Morning Music with Grady Kirkpatrick. Small has appeared on the concert stage with other Native American performers such as Rita Coolidge, Indigenous, Crystal Gale and Keith Secola.

Biography