Gary Gazaway was born in Northeast Arkansas, where the Ozark Plateau joins the Western Lowlands of the Central Mississippi Valley. The region's rich musical heritage of Blues, Soul, Gospel, Rockabilly, and Jazz influenced Gazaway as he was learning to play the trumpet. His father, an avid fan of Soul music, took him to concerts by Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding and many other artists that were recording and performing in Memphis at that time. While attending college, he first worked professionally as a trumpet player in a local R&B band based out of Memphis. During this time, he befriended Jazz pianist Charles Thomas and spent many late hours listening to his trio at the Rivermont Hotel.

After obtaining a degree in Communications, Gazaway used his journalistic skills to chronicle music. His travels to New York, Miami, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, Rio De Janeiro, San Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Atlanta, Nashville, and Maui, are liken to an investigating journalist exploring every genre of music and culture offered in each community. Gazaway compiled all of these influences to create a unique sound, which later became the foundation of the El Búho Project.

Jazz trombonist Bill Watrous invited Gazaway to New York City and soon after moving there, he began playing at Jazzmania Loft and with the Machito Salsa Orchestra. From New York, he went to the Virgin Islands and worked with Freddy Thomas, then moved to Miami. In Miami, he began playing with Israel Lopez "Cacho", Alexandro "El Negro" Vivar, Francisco "Pacquito" Hechavarria, Celia Cruz, Lisette, Ira Sullivan, Mike Gerber, Barry Ries, Big Black, Wayne Cochran, and many other Latin and American musicians in South Florida. He was invited to Bob Marley's house in Miami, enjoying the Jamaican meals prepared by Bob's mother "Mrs. B".

Gazaway joined the popular Latin Jazz fusion group Opa from Uruguay, and moved to Los Angeles, working with Brazilian Jazz artists Flora Purim and Airto Moreira on their American tours. He recorded on albums for Flora Purim; and Manolo Badrena, with special guest Jaco Pastorius. It was during this time that the nickname "El Búho" ("The Owl") was fondly bestowed to Gazaway by Hugo Fattoruso and Manolo Badrena.

From Los Angeles, he moved to Atlanta, recording and performing with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age. Then Gazaway traveled to South America touring in Argentina with Opa and Milton Nascimento. In Brazil he worked with Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, Luis Alves, Robertinho Silva, Luis Eca, Yuri Popov, Mauro Senise, Nivaldo Orneallas, Mauro Senise, Leo Gandelman, and Andre Dequech. In Uruguay he worked with Jaime Roos, Ruben Rada, Eduardo Mateo, Opa, Beledo, Pipo Spera, and the Montevideo Folkloric Candombe Drummers.

It was also during this time period, that he performed and recorded with Delta Bluesman CeDell Davis and New York Times pop music critic Robert Palmer. Being part of that collaboration has been one of the highlights of Gazaway's career, as they performed at Tramp's in New York City in 1985 with Jazz legend Ornette Coleman.

Gazaway then moved to Nashville to concentrate on production and songwriting. While developing the El Búho Project,he continued touring and recording with some of the top names in the music industry. He was bandleader for Cajun artist Joel Sonnier on his RCA recordings, videos, and tours, working with guests Steve Winwood, and Garth Hudson. He worked for Delbert McClinton and also recorded and toured with Razzy Bailey, with special guest Steve Cropper. His El Búho Project performed in Nashville, and featured a "who's who" of new musicians moving to Music City at that time.

Gazaway worked with Joe Cocker on two American tours, recorded on his platinum CD "Live" with the Memphis Horns, and appeared on his "Live" video. He performed on the Joe Cocker and Stevie Ray Vaughan "Power And Passion Tour," which was the legendary Texas guitarist's last tour. Vaughan featured Gazaway's trumpet solos, and hired him to organize a horn section for his European tour, scheduled for October of that year.

In the spring of 1991, after performing several shows with the newly formed Aquariam Rescue Unit, Gazaway moved to Maui, Hawaii and began a three-year sabbatical, researching the music of the Polynesian Triangle. He was hired by the Hawaii State Department of Education as Director of Polynesian Music in Hana, (one of the last Native Hawaiian communities in Hawaii). While working in Hawaii, he performed with jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks, Hawaiian guitarist Sam Ahia, and Hawaiian vocalist Lisa Ahia.

Returning to Nashville, he went into the studio and digitally transferred his historic recording sessions, featuring legendary Cuban bassist Israel Lopez "Cachou" and Walfredo Reyes Sr. He then worked with the Irish group The Commitments, on their 1995 American tour, which traveled to 51 cities in 60 days.

In October 1996, the rock group Phish invited Gazaway to be a featured performer at their Halloween show at the Omni in Atlanta. It is one of the most famous Phish concerts and is one of the important live shows for tape collectors of "Jam Bands."

After recording on albums for George Jones, Susan Werner, Derek Trucks, Gazaway reassembled his El Búho Project and began touring as a band. He is rapidly devoloping a grass roots following, with tapers and drivers, and his shows have featured special guests Victor Wooten, Eric Avenger, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Cody Dickinson, and T Lavitz.

In the fall of 1998, El Búho began recording his first solo release, The Wham Bam Boodle. As word spread of the recording among his colleagues, many of El Búho's friends offered their talent; Col. Bruce Hampton, Victor Wooten, Oteil Burbridge, Mike Gordon, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Matt Rollings, and Eric Avenger,are just a few of the musicians on the project.

Gazaway released the Album in April 2000 on Ecotone Records, as a collection of 6 original songs representing 6 different styles of El Búho, most of which were recorded live at Javelina Studios in Nashville. Now in 2001, he will release a new CD "Live in the Heartland", featuring some of his new compositions: The Phoenicians, Leviathon, Children of the Rainbow, Dancing With Ishtar, Theme for Thera, Floating In the Ort Cloud, Spankin the Monkey, and Escape From Salt Lake.