Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written By: Moti Kupfer
Release date - 5.12.66
“Stephen is a genius,” troubadour Neil Young once said about Stephen Stills - and if Young says it, he’s probably not wrong.
Stills and Young collaborated in several groups: “Buffalo Springfield”, whose debut album was released on December 5, 1966, “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young”, and the "Stills-Young Band".
I’ve written before about Stephen Stills’ involvement in recording the album “Super Session” with Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.
Stills was born in Dallas to a military family and, because the family moved frequently, he grew up exposed to — and loving — a wide variety of musical styles, from folk and blues to Latin music.
At age 9, Stephen Stills was diagnosed with partial hearing loss in one ear, a condition that worsened as he grew older.
After dropping out of Louisiana State University, Stills played in several bands, including "The Continentals", which featured Don Felder — the future guitarist for “The Eagles”.
Stills began performing solo at Gerde’s Folk City, and later joined a nine-member vocal harmony group called The "Au Go Go Singers", where he met his future “Buffalo Springfield” bandmate Richie Furay.
Together with Furay and three other members of The "Au Go Go Singers", Stills formed a band called "The Company", which went on a touring circuit in Canada.
While in Canada, Stephen Stills met guitarist Neil Young, whose dream was to play folk music with a rock band. To pursue that, Young joined a group called the "Mynah Birds" in early 1966 - a band that also included Bruce Palmer, the future bassist of “Buffalo Springfield”.
As mentioned, Young and Stills met in Canada and immediately clicked, but each continued on his own path. Meanwhile, "the Mynah Birds" disbanded because lead singer Rick James (later known for “Super Freak”) was exposed for dodging the draft.
Still remembering his encounter with Stephen Stills, Neil Young convinced Palmer to travel with him to Los Angeles in hopes of finding Stills, which eventually happened, though in reverse. Stills eho was with Furay at the time, spotted them while driving down Sunset Boulevard. The four reunited, and were later joined by drummer Dewey Martin, at the recommendation of "Byrds" manager Jim Dickson.
Stephen Stills came up with the name “Buffalo Springfield” after seeing it stenciled on a railroad freight car.
“Buffalo Springfield” played a blend of folk, country, psychedelia, and rock, combined with creative songwriting and stunning vocal harmonies. They became one of the clearest markers of the rise of folk-rock.
Their most recognizable song, “For What It’s Worth,” was written by Stephen Stills, inspired by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966.
These riots took place while “Buffalo Springfield” were the house band at the Hollywood club "Whisky a Go Go". Local residents and business owners were bothered by the crowds of young people flocking to nearby clubs and music halls, creating heavy traffic late at night. In response, they pressured the Los Angeles Police Department to enforce a strict 10 p.m. curfew on the area.
On November 12, 1966, leaflets were distributed and local radio stations announced a rally and protest outside Pandora’s Box and Crescent Heights. No fewer than a thousand demonstrators, including celebrities like Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, gathered to protest the curfew. In later years, the song was embraced as a protest anthem against the Vietnam War.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music