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Norton Buffalo Dies
Regular news outlets don’t seem to have the story yet, but several websites are reporting that harmonica legend Norton Buffalo died this weekend.
We reported here at the Corner Booth on Friday that the singer-songwriter and harmonica virtuoso was suffering lung cancer, and cancer also had been found in his brain. He was first diagnosed with cancer in September, and had retired to his home in Paradise during treatment. He was 58.
I first became aware of Buffalo in 1979, when he appeared as one of Bette Midler’s sidemen in the movie “The Rose.” I remember coming out of the theater, thinking, “Who WAS that guy?” From there, I tracked down his records and became a fan of Buffalo and of blues harmonica in general. But it wasn’t until after I moved to Redding that I finally saw him perform live (at MarketFest a few years ago).
For three decades, Buffalo was a member of the Steve Miller Band. He also sat in with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Jerry Garcia. But perhaps his best work was in duets with blues guitarist Roy Rogers. Here’s a music video of them together.
For more about his career, click here and here.
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I heard about this on NPR yesterday–they will dedicate the folk music show to him this afternoon. So sad!
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Rob Atkinson Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 10:16 am
I had the pleasure of working with both Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo at the Taproom in the old days. They were always popular as they appreared together or with their own groups. I always booked them in December so they could do their Christmas shopping up here. Two of the songs on the CD Travelin Tracks were recorded live at the taproom.
Norton was an easy going, upbeat person who made it a better day when he was around. I miss him already.
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David Denny did a wonderful tribute to Norton last week at Westfest in San Francisco. I recorded it
which folk show on NPR today?…can’t find any reference toit on NPR…thanks
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http://www.bluoz.com/blog/index.php?/archives/823-a-tribute-to-Norton-Buffalo.html
oops the URL didn’t show up the first time
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michele Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 10:26 am
The “Good Old Fashioned Folk Music Show” at 1:00 today (pretty sure)–on KCHO on the Oroville channel here…I heard Lorraine Dechter(sp?)came in specially yesterday to update today’s show in Mr. Buffalo’s honor.
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Norton and I have been friends for 20 years. We had many good times and I was able to see him and talk to him often over the past month. He was upbeat and optimistic and his illness never slowed down his love to talk! He was surrounded by family and friends when he passed last Thursday. He truley loved all the fans he has all over the world. I feel honored to have know the man. My heart goes out to his wife Lisa, his father, brother and sister’s and to all his fans and friends throughout the world.
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also a tribute tonight on The Crush, Healdsburg, 7-9pm
http://www.krsh.com/listen.html
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091101/ENTERTAINMENT/911019986?Title=Local-harmonica-legend-Norton-Buffalo-dies
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I first saw Norton Buffalo on Cobb Mt. it was at Starview Lodge, my boyfriend and I were running it it was the biggest thing to ever happen there, it was like 1973, I think, he was a skinny little kid but he could play that harmonica he was great. I followed him through the years and saw him the last time in Healdsburg in Aug. I thought he looked pale and he wasen’t quite right, he looked tired or something I didn’t know. I loved him and followed him throught the years, I never talked to him about that but I wanted to I was too shy to talk to him I loved the song “I put my trust in you” I only heard him play it once but I loved it. I have never heard it since or on any of his CD’s does anyone know what I am talking about?
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Of all the wonderful people I’ve met since becoming a Blues DJ, Norton set the bar for humanity and heart. His virtuosity was impeccable and his soulful presentation was always engaging. And uplifting.
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Norton was a friend of Park City, Utah….and Cisero’s. May he rest in peace. He will be missed!
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I worked with Norton and vividly remember him as a true talent , a professional that was not ego-invested like so many good musicians, and he was a consummate gentleman.
Not too long after we live-produced & recorded the first “Epic Collection” album for Merle Haggard, I co-engineered an album with Norton on vocals and harmonica for the MONTANA band in 1986, live at the Nugget. While touring to kick off that album the following year, the entire band was tragically killed in an overloaded plane that crashed. Norton, fortunately, was not a part of that ill-fated gig.
I remember Norton always willing to do the extra, late night sessions and overdubs with never a whine or complaint. And he LOVED drinking and sharing his exotic and flavorful (healthy) herbal teas. I got a chance to run into him backstage in Portland a few years ago and to my humble surprise he actually remembered me and our recording work together. His last words to me were “Happy Trails, Al! I hope to see you again.” I was SO damn lucky to get to work with him!
Happy Trails, Norton.
I hope to see you again too… Rest in Peace.
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I’ve worked with stars, would-be stars, and countless wannabes, but few were more decent and down-to-earth than Norton Buffalo. Thanks to him, my stint as drummer for The Knockouts (1990-91) was one of the highlights of my career. Not only was Norton supremely talented and deeply dedicated, he was also friendly, fun, honest, compassionate, and utterly devoid of the usual ego tripping that tends to dominate the music biz. Norton was clearly in it for the music. One couldn’t help but admire him.
On stage Norton was a force to be reckoned with. No matter how big or small the venue, he always gave 100 percent and played consistently, often unbelievably well. I can’t recall ever hearing him flub a note or forget a line. He was truly a master of his game: an instrumentalist nonpareil, an amazing singer and performer, and a great composer, arranger and producer. His level of dedication, originality and musicianship inspired me then and continues to do so to this day.
Norton was a great teacher too. The harmonica lessons he gave me were always challenging, and really extended my grasp of the instrument. To this day I still can’t play all he showed me. Thank God I kept the tapes!
Like any good teacher, Norton was clever and knew how to get around the self-imposed limits of his students. I remember once we were on the tour bus rehearsing vocals on the way to a gig when Norton asked me if I could take one of the high harmonies. He sang the part for me, then asked me to sing it back while he sang the melody. “Look,” I said, “I can sing melodies okay, but I have a problem sometimes hearing certain harmonies.” “Fine,” Norton said, “then sing this melody.” He sang the same part again. I knew I was being had, but lo and behold, when I thought of the part as a melody rather than a harmony, I was able to sing it with ease.
We kept in touch throughout the years, albeit sporadically. Once Norton was playing in a bar near where I was living and he called to tell me so. He put me and my girlfriend on the guest list, then invited me onstage during the show to play some harp with him. I was thrilled and honored, but also nervous as heck. Norton could easily have played circles around me, but like the gentleman he was, he let me set the pace. The licks he played complemented what I was doing, and made me sound like a better player than I was.
In 2002 Norton graciously agreed to be interviewed for an article I was writing (entitled “Taming of the Shrill”) for Electronic Musician magazine about how to record acoustic harmonicas. He was forthcoming as usual, and happy to share what he knew about the subject—which was a great deal, of course. (You can still find the article online.) When the interview was done, I thanked Norton again and told him how much I appreciated his contribution. “Not everybody would be so willing to help out,” I said. “Dude,” he replied, “not a problem. You were a Knockout! And don’t ever forget it.”
I learned about Norton’s illness from a harmonica player in Brazil I’ve been working with for the past several years. I wrote to Norton immediately, catching him up on my whereabouts, and sending prayers and best wishes for his recovery. I didn’t get a reply—I knew he was in a fight for his life, not to mention swamped with emails from fans. But at least I got to tell him one last time how much he meant to me.
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Saw the Steve Miller Band @ Westbury Music Fare last night. Steve spoke of Norton and was all chocked up doing so. They also dedicated many of the songs in the show to Norton. It was a GREAT show.
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I am so sorry to hear this. I just found out today when I saw the tickets for sale on Another Planet for his tribute. I went to high school with him and I remember him performing with the high school band. He was a pretty good musician even back then. He was also an all around nice guy. His dad was one my customer’s when I worked at the BofA in Richmond, CA. He used to keep me up to date on how his career was going. My prayers go out to his family.
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Not only was he an amazing musician, he was one of the kindest souls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The world was a better place with Norton in it. He will be truly missed by many……..
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