Don Leady the leader of the band is the singer, songwriter, guitarist, accordianist and producer with a vision. He puts together an audio gumbo of Gulf Coast styles blended with rock seasonings. A native of Cool Valley, Missouri, Don Leady continues to experiment with the guitar to find new techniques and sounds. It certainly doesn't stop with the guitar, he's gone into fiddle, steel guitar, and most recently the accordian. His education came from masters of the art, Chet Atkins, Les Paul and later BB King, because their music was readily available. He heard the Ventures and Duane Eddy a bit further down the line and loved their style. "Have Guitar, Will Travel" by Duane Eddy freaked him out totally, it was amazing. He caught Joe Maphis and the Collins Kids on the TV show, Ranch Party, and Joe Maphis made a huge impression on him. Joe Maphis became one of Don Leady's idols. Hearing Joe Maphis play the boogie woogie guitar and thinking to himself that the guy was picking the guitar ten times faster than Duane Eddy, Don Leady was star-struck. The Tailgators began in 1984 and continued into 2000, with a charismatic style of music that is very contagious. Don Leady, Jean-Jacques (JJ) Barrera and Chico Oropeza, are the Tailgators that are cookin' up the tunes on their 1996 release, It's A Hog Groove. Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top, calls the trio from Austin Texas his favorite American band. The trio is one that should not be missed at a live venue, if there are any tickets left, they generally sell out fast. Some of the other names the Tailgators have been rumored to use in and around the Austin scene are, Zydeco Loco and Gators Del Norte. Whatever name they use, the end product is the same, It's A Hog Groove!.