Hobbs Magarét

The guitar has always been a part of Hobbs’ life. Like oxygen. His granddad started shoving a guitar in his hands as soon as he could hold one. It seems fitting that Hobbs’ earliest memory is storming out of the room when he couldn’t play as well as his granddad.

Hobbs grew up on a ranch near Amarillo, Texas spending much of his time horseback, absorbing the cowboy ethic. His bio-dad was a roughneck in the oil fields and his mom was a horse trainer and an administrator working with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).

After graduating from Amarillo High School in 2005, Hobbs studied politics and music at the University of Oregon. Although Hobbs supported himself through college starting and training horses, he ultimately gave up ranch life in favor of his guitar. Since Hobbs’ granddad was a cowboy and a guitar player, he had wanted both for Hobbs. One of two isn’t bad.

Following a two-year, post-graduation journey that included lengthy stops in Austin, Melbourne (Australia) and Portland, Hobbs landed in Sisters, Oregon in February 2011. He makes his home in a retrofitted airplane hangar adjacent to the Sisters Airport, which he manages. When he’s not dealing with local politics, writing grants or fielding noise complaints from decibally-challenged residents, he’s playing music and trying to avoid further inciting his neighbors.

Despite only being in his mid-20s, Hobbs has been playing in front of audiences for more than 15 years. This year he is slated to perform at the Sisters Folk Festival and the Bend Roots Festival, as well as other Oregon venues. Having focused exclusively on performing until recently, an unexpected teaching invitation encouraged Hobbs to begin sharing his musical gift with others. Following an initial teaching stint at the Americana Song Academy for Youth, he continued teaching guitar and songwriting in Sisters and will be teaching with the Youth Music Project in Portland this summer.

“I’d be lost if I couldn’t make music,” says Hobbs. “And I know I’m not the only one. So I do what I can to help others experience the same connection to Music that I’m lucky enough to have.”