The Taoist Cowboys were a two guitar, bass, and drums garage band formed in the heart of Fort Sanders in Knoxville, TN circa 1988. Bob McCluskey was the principle songwriter and played guitar. Fellow guitarist Scott Carpenter also wrote songs as did bassist Brad Deaton. Jeff Bills played drums.
The Taoist Cowboys mostly played clubs in Knoxville. In the early times it was the China King located on Cumberland Ave. Later they moved to Gryphon's which became their adopted home. They were the first rock band to play at Gryphon's which became a mecca for bands during it's heyday. Similarly they were the first band to play at the Longbranch Saloon when it moved across the street. They also made stops at Manhattan's and Planet Earth in the Old City.
After saving a little money they put together an album for release. Cholo, a collection from various recordings, was released in 1990 . Some of it was live, some of it was four track material. A couple of songs even came from a "real" studio. This was made possible by the Cowboys coming in second at the campus battle of the band contest. Cholo would later be selected as one of the 100 best albums of Knoxville of all time in the city weekly, Metropulse. For their next project the Cowboys went in to Southern Sound Studios in Knoxville, TN circa 1992, and recorded an album that came to be known as Punt. It's title came in part from the fact that they broke up before it was released. An amiable split created in no small part by the realities of life. This was in the summer of '92. A short ride but a good one.
