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This Time Around
The Buffalo Springfield lasted 19 months, yet their music,
three studio albums, a retrospective and one of the finest box sets compiled on any band, and their importance in
music history will last forever.
The Springfield is perhaps best known for what its members
accomplished after the band broke up. Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Jim Messina. These names all became
huge after the parting of the ways, on May 5, 1968. Yet the Springfield music, a blend of rock, folk, country, and
a little soul, drove them to success with three impressive and influencial albums. They only had one hit single, "For What
it's Worth", but the songs on their albums were written by three very unique and distinctive songwriters and guitarists;
Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Richie Furay. Back those songs with the percussion work of Dewey Martin and the
bass lines of Bruce Palmer, and what we had was some of the best songs ever.
And thus we begin our look at the career of a short-lived but innovative band. As Ritchie
Furay has said, " The Springfield was Stephen's (Stills) band, but somehow Neil (Young) always seemed to call the shots. "
The Springfield had their share of band conflicts between Stills and Young, the leaders
of the group, as well as personnel changes, and drug conflicts. But their music will live on. They were one of the first bands
to embrace what became known as country rock,(or Cosmic American Music, as Gram Parson chose to call it) and much
of their rock/folk/country blend was better than anything that was going on at that time and certainly alot better
than alot of what is going on now (2005). and that is a fitting tribute to one of the innovators.
We begin with some news about yet another rumour that The Buffalo Springfield will reform
in the not to distant future The original line up, of course never can be, due to the death of original bassist,
Bruce Palmer, on 1 Oct 2004.We can dream, can't we? Two videos of the Buffalo Springfieldhave been added to the site, one
at the bottom of this page and one at the end of the website, both featuring For What It's Worth, a promo video, and a live
performance at the Monterey Festival featuring David Crosby of The Byrds.
Now......first some news, and then some history to get us underway. We hope you enjoy your
time here and that you'll return often.
Love and Mercy
The Au Go-Go Singers
1964, being the year of The Beatles, was also the very
end of the folk group phenomenon. After the success of groups such as The Serendipity Singers and The New Christy Minstrels,
there were countless 'clone groups', and indeed, The Au Go-Go Singers were one. However, the one thing that makes them interesting
is the fact that they contained two members who, just over a year later, would provide the nucleus of The Buffalo Springfield,
Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. After a few seasons of touring, a contract was offered by @Roulette Records. The results
here are predictably bland, professional and well executed group hootenanny folk music. However, there a couple of shining
individual moments here by Stills and Furay. Furay's performance of the folk ballad standard, "Where I'm Bound," clearly shows
what an incredibly talented singer Richie was, even at this early stage. Better still is Stephen Stills vocals and arrangement
of "High Flying' Bird," a true coffeehouse staple of the time. His soulful, whisky-soaked voice belied is age (a mere 19 years
at the time). When the Au Go-Go Singers disbanded, a few of them (including Stills, but not Furay) toured briefly in Canada
as The Company. At one stop the opening band was Neil Young and The Squires, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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Steve Stills |
vocal,guitar |
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Richie Furay |
vocal,guitar |
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Kathy King |
vocal |
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Jean Gurney |
vocal |
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Fred Geiger |
vocal,guitar |
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Bob Harmelink |
vocal |
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Roy Michaels |
vocal,guitar |
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Nels Gustafson |
vocal,guitar |
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Mike Scott |
vocal,acoustic bass |
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Buffalo Springfield
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The Complete
Membership List
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Buffalo Springfield I (1966 - May 1967)
Richie Furay - guitar/vocals - b. Paul Richard Furay, May 9, 1944, Yellow Springs (Dayton), Ohio - formerly with New York-based vocal
group The Au Go Go Singers.
Stephen Stills - guitar/vocals - b. January 3, 1945, Dallas, Texas - formerly with The Continentals, The Au Go Go Singers, and The Company.
Neil Young - guitar/vocals - b. November 12, 1945, Toronto, Canada - formerly with The Classics, The Squires, and The Mynah Birds (w/Bruce Palmer and Rick James).
Dewey Martin - drums/vocals - b. September 30, 1942, Chesterville, Canada.
Bruce Palmer - bass - b. 1946, Liverpool, Canada - formerly with
The Mynah Birds and Jack London and the Sparrows.
Album:
Buffalo Springfield
(1966) - Single: "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing"
(1967) - Single: "For What It's Worth"
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Buffalo Springfield II (May 1967 - September 1967)
Richie Furay - guitar/vocals
Stephen Stills - guitar/vocals
Doug Hastings - guitar
Dewey Martin - drums/vocals
Bruce Palmer - bass - Deported back to Canada during sessions for second album, "Buffalo Springfield
Again".
Ken Koblun - bass
Jim Fielder - bass - b. October 4, 1947, Denton, Texas.
Album:
Buffalo Springfield Again (1968)
Jim Fielder joins Blood, Sweat and Tears
Doug Hastings joins Rhinoceros
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Buffalo Springfield III (September 1967 - May 1968)
Jim Messina - lead guitar/bass/vocals - b. James Messina,
December 5, 1947, Maywood, California
Album:
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Compilations:
3. "Buffalo Springfield" December
(1973) (2LP)
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