If you think The Ida Road Band sounds small town, there is a reason for that. Simply put, they are. Not only do most of the members of the band live in or around the small town of Tom Bean now, it is where they grew up and where their roots are. While James and Mark both grew up in Tom Bean they both did have their stints away from the town. After high school James decided to play football at Ranger Junior College, but after deciding that wasn’t exactly for him, he let the west Texas wind blow him out to San Angelo. While in San Angelo James took up work as a ranch hand and would eventually meet his future wife Heather. It was through Heather, James would meet Chris and a life long friendship would begin. Chris grew up in the hill country of Austin and his taste in music would definitely reflect that. After high school Chris too moved to San Angelo and went to school there for a period of time. While attending Angel State, Chris met his wife, Kim, whose best friend, Heather, was James’ future wife. After high school Mark decided to join the U.S. Army. It is true that while operating as a Combat Engineer for the Army Mark was “stuck” in Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division, it was still a long way from home. It is here that Mark really gained an appreciation for “Texas Country”. It was his own brand of music that he and other people from his area could identify with. There are many of nights when a guitar and a song about a waitress named Sherry kept homesickness at bay. After moving back home ad settling into the rigors of life, it wasn’t long before Mark was taking that same guitar to James’ house. With someone as passionate about music as Cliff, it doesn’t take long for others to catch on. Working on the flooring industry in Dallas area it as inevitable that Chris and James would not only work with Cliff but would come to find out his love for all kinds of music. He was after all born in Nashville, but to his credit, he didn’t stay long. Being an army brat, Cliff would move from town to town. He settled in Dallas and met his wife Tina and they now hail from Sachse. The Ida Road Band started after James met Ed Burleson at a wedding and hired Ed to play what would later become the Tom Bean Fourth of July party, held at James place just off Ida road every other year. After that party James and Ed became friends. Being around such talented musicians led James to decide that he too, wanted to learn the guitar and test his writing skills. Long time friends Mark and Chris would come out on the weekends to provide back up guitar and vocals, and the mini jam session would ensue through a tiny PA that James invested in. Deciding the music could use more depth of sound Chris bought a bass and began teaching himself. All that was left was finding a suitable drummer. After a few try outs Cliff was introduced and the band was formed. A song called Buzzards was a hit among some lifelong friends, and the first invitation to play a party was given, and gladly accepted. The guys in The Ida Road Band are still the same guys that started playing in that barn, only now they are a lot better at it.