Gryf was on a road trip across the southern half of the United States the summer after he graduated from high school. He made it all the way to Lockney, Texas when he ran out of money and gas. He found himself standing on a street corner, guitar case open on the ground in front of him, trying to play for enough money in tips to pay his way to the next town when he was arrested by the local sheriff for panhandling. While pondering the errors of his ways in the city jail, he ran into a young man claiming to be there for the exact same reason.

When the jail started to get crowded, the Sheriff let the two guitarists out and was in the process of returning their property when the two grabbed for the same guitar case. A fight ensued. After a bit of discussion, the two realized they both played old Martin D-18s. The other man introduced himself as Bill and the two instantly became friends and decided to travel cross-country together, playing their Martins and singing that high lonesome sound.

About that same time in a remote region of Czechoslovakia, Tom was haggling with a very talented instrument maker about the price of a new bass. From high atop a nearby mountain, he heard the sound of what he thought could only be a banjo. He hadn't heard that sound in so long and having nearly settled on a price with the instrument maker, he paid up, took the bass, and began climbing the mountain. Now you know just how difficult that can be with a bass under one arm and your tent under the other, but after 13 days of steady climbing, he reached the summit only to find Don sitting cross-legged on the peak, playing what would later be known as the "Carpathian Mountain Breakdown". Tom quickly tuned his new bass and began playing along with Don.

Years passed and the two duos traveled the world playing the music they loved, when one day, while both sets of friends were attending the Grassapalooza concert, the headlining band fell violently ill. Seems they had tried to eat an entire tub of buckeyes, mistaking them for walnuts. A call for a substitute band rang out over the tiny PA system, a call that was quickly answered by four eager musicians. After a 5 minute huddle, Billy, Don, Gryf and Tom took the stage. As Don approached the microphone to introduce the "band", he heard the wooden stage floor creak beneath his feet. That's when it dawned on him. He announced to the crowd of 100,000+ that the band was named BUCKEYE CREEK. 10 years and over 3000 shows later, the band is still amazing audiences from Texas to Czechoslovakia.