Buffalo Springfield

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.

Albums:

"Buffalo Springfield" (1967) - Single: "For What It's Worth" (1967)

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.

Albums:

"Buffalo Springfield Again" (1968)

Jim Fielder joins Blood, Sweat and Tears. Doug Hastings joins Rhinoceros.

Buffalo Springfield III (September 1967 - May 1968)

Richie Furay - guitar/vocals
Jim Messina - lead guitar/bass/vocals - b. James Messina, December 5, 1947, Maywood, California.
Stephen Stills - guitar/vocals
Neil Young - guitar/vocals
Dewey Martin - drums

Albums:

"Last Time Around" (1969) - released posthumously

After breakup, Richie Furay and Jim Messina co-found Poco and Loggins and Messina; Stephen Stills joins David Crosby (ex-Byrds) and Graham Nash (ex-Hollies) to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Neil Young pursues solo career. Dewey Martin makes unsuccessful attempt to keep Buffalo Springfield alive with three new members.

Compilations:

"Retrospective: Best of Buffalo Springfield" (1969)
"Expecting to Fly"
"Buffalo Springfield" (1973)
"Buffalo Springfield" (4-CD box set) (2001)

Links:

"DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" - published by Cooper Square Press - Let me say right up front that I have been a big fan of country rock music ever since hearing the "Pickin' Up The Pieces" single from Poco's debut album. Poco has remained a favorite of mine through the years, although I always believed they were overlooked as a significant influence on popular music into the 1970s and the "new country" movement in the 1990s. Thankfully, this oversight is corrected by John Einarson in his book, "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock", which traces the history of country rock's rise in Southern California from the early days in the late 1960s up to The Eagles (unquestionably the most commercially-viable country rock band of all time). Having previously read one of Mr. Einarson's biographies on The Guess Who, I was anxious to see how he approached my favorite type of music...I was not disappointed. "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" is an intricate tale of musicians struggling to be heard amidst the psychedelic and hard-rock sounds flooding the airwaves at the time...and these early country rockers did make themselves heard...The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Poco, Buffalo Springfield, Clarence White, The Eagles, Michael Nesmith (remember The Monkees?...Nesmith made some great country rock music after that gig was over), The Dillards, Rick Nelson and The Stone Canyon Band, The Dillard and Clark Expedition, Linda Ronstadt, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band...the list could go on and on. This book covers the early days of country rock from it's beginnings in the late 1960s to the tragic year of 1973 (when the music world lost two country rock pioneers: guitarist-extraordinaire Clarence White and Gram Parsons) and examines the influence this music has had on second-generation country rock bands such as Pure Prairie League and Firefall. In addition, the impact of these early country rockers on the "new country" music of the 1980s and the "alternative country" movement of the late-1990s and beyond is explored from a "roots" perspective. This is a tale masterfully woven by Mr. Einarson, based on more than 60 exclusive interviews with the originators and innovators of country rock. The amount of information and level of detail contained in these 288 pages is astounding, and there are 31 black and white photographs (some of which I've never seen before). The only improvement that I would recommend is the inclusion of a comprehensive index in the next edition (this would really help in finding information on specific artists). Even though I've been following country rock music for years, I learned a lot from this book. The quotes gleaned from Mr. Einarson's interviews during research for this book are particularly helpful in understanding the origin and development of country rock. "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" is required reading for all fans of country rock or anyone interested in late-1960s to early-1970s music. Highly recommended.