Post by wormdrive66 on Oct 30, 2009 21:33:21 GMT -8
Norton Buffalo (born 28 September 1951, Oakland, California died 30 October 2009, Paradise,_California) :'
Buffalo, the son of a harmonica player, was born in Oakland, CA and raised in Richmond, California. In high school he performed in a series of bands. By the early 1970s he gained renown as a San Francisco Bay Area musician, playing with such Bay Area groups as Clover, The Moonlighters, and Elvin Bishop.
In early 1976 Buffalo joined the "farewell" European tour of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and was recorded on the band's final live album We've Got A Live One Here! [4], which included Buffalo's song Eighteen Wheels. After the tour, Buffalo returned to California, briefly played with a number of local bands, and later in 1976 he joined the Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle national tour. He also played harmonica on the band's hit follow-up album Book of Dreams, released in May of 1977. Buffalo appeared on the tracks Winter Time and The Stake.
By the late 1970s Buffalo had formed his own band, The Stampede, and recorded two Capitol Records albums: Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon and Desert Horizon. His harmonica work also appeared on the 1977 album Sweet Forgiveness by Bonnie Raitt. Not long after the release of his second album in 1979, Buffalo and his band were featured on the PBS music television program Austin City Limits. [5] In 1981 he produced an album for the popular Northwest band Wheatfield.He was a member of the Mickey Hart band High Noon in the late 70s and early 80s with Merl Saunders, Mike Hinton, Jim McPhearson, Vicki Randle, and Bobby Vega, and played with Saunders on the Rainforest Band album It's in the Air in 1993.
Buffalo also appeared in and worked on several films. He did a cameo appearance in the rock movie, The Rose starring Bette Midler, where he was a member of the band (on harmonica and trombone) and spoke a line or two. He had another cameo in Michael Cimino's 1979 film Heaven's Gate (film) starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and Jeff Bridges. He also co-wrote the music for the films Stacy's Knights and Eddie Macon's Run with guitarist Mike Hinton.
Norton performs and records as a member of The Steve Miller Band; he has now been a member for over 32 years. He also continues to perform and record music often as a session musician, and has appeared on 180 albums to date. A cover of Buffalo's song Ain't No Bread In The Breadbox was in heavy rotation at Jerry Garcia Band concerts from 1991 until Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, and appeared on the live release Shining Star.[6]
On September 2nd 2009 Buffalo was diagnosed with stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of the lower right lobe. The next day. he found out that it had spread to his brain. Norton has since retired to his home in Paradise,CA were he sought treatment at Feather River Hospital.
Buffalo, the son of a harmonica player, was born in Oakland, CA and raised in Richmond, California. In high school he performed in a series of bands. By the early 1970s he gained renown as a San Francisco Bay Area musician, playing with such Bay Area groups as Clover, The Moonlighters, and Elvin Bishop.
In early 1976 Buffalo joined the "farewell" European tour of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and was recorded on the band's final live album We've Got A Live One Here! [4], which included Buffalo's song Eighteen Wheels. After the tour, Buffalo returned to California, briefly played with a number of local bands, and later in 1976 he joined the Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle national tour. He also played harmonica on the band's hit follow-up album Book of Dreams, released in May of 1977. Buffalo appeared on the tracks Winter Time and The Stake.
By the late 1970s Buffalo had formed his own band, The Stampede, and recorded two Capitol Records albums: Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon and Desert Horizon. His harmonica work also appeared on the 1977 album Sweet Forgiveness by Bonnie Raitt. Not long after the release of his second album in 1979, Buffalo and his band were featured on the PBS music television program Austin City Limits. [5] In 1981 he produced an album for the popular Northwest band Wheatfield.He was a member of the Mickey Hart band High Noon in the late 70s and early 80s with Merl Saunders, Mike Hinton, Jim McPhearson, Vicki Randle, and Bobby Vega, and played with Saunders on the Rainforest Band album It's in the Air in 1993.
Buffalo also appeared in and worked on several films. He did a cameo appearance in the rock movie, The Rose starring Bette Midler, where he was a member of the band (on harmonica and trombone) and spoke a line or two. He had another cameo in Michael Cimino's 1979 film Heaven's Gate (film) starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and Jeff Bridges. He also co-wrote the music for the films Stacy's Knights and Eddie Macon's Run with guitarist Mike Hinton.
Norton performs and records as a member of The Steve Miller Band; he has now been a member for over 32 years. He also continues to perform and record music often as a session musician, and has appeared on 180 albums to date. A cover of Buffalo's song Ain't No Bread In The Breadbox was in heavy rotation at Jerry Garcia Band concerts from 1991 until Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, and appeared on the live release Shining Star.[6]
On September 2nd 2009 Buffalo was diagnosed with stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of the lower right lobe. The next day. he found out that it had spread to his brain. Norton has since retired to his home in Paradise,CA were he sought treatment at Feather River Hospital.
