Gary Epperson

I began playing guitar on the Japanese island of Okinawa in 1966 and had my first money-making band in the late fall of 1967.  My family relocated to Fort Bragg, NC (Fayetteville), where I finished High School and began my college odyssey at East Carolina in September, 1970.  I met Bill Joyner that year and he invited to me to join the band he was in, “SKYE”, which became the early nucleus of the Fayetteville band, “BRANDY”.  I remained with that early version of Brandy until June, 1973- when Kathy and I were married! 

I brought the Brandy name back in late 1974, ultimately playing with Doyle Wood, Ray Barnes, and Alan Knight.  I left the band in October, 1976.

See Badge Band Bio

In May of 1985, I started a long friendship/ musical relationship with Chris Jepsen, playing together for a year before the band morphed into Gary and the Grown Men- the forerunner of GAVINHART.

On December 28, 1987.  Kathy and I moved to Nashville.  45 days later, the band followed.  In May and June of 1988, we recorded 8 songs under the auspices of Warner Brothers-Nashville.  Long story- no happy ending.

We Stayed in Nashville until August, 1995.  The Nashville crew, plus new drummer Chris Gavrelis, began performing as “GAVINHART” in 1997 and continued until January, 2018, when long-time drummer- Dave Braswell- died.  RIP DB!