Norton Buffalo..

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 26 May 2005 12:21 pm

Anybody remember him??.. Kinda avante garde Texas swing with some country rock/ /zydeco/bluegrass/old timey/boogie/jazz/West coast thrown in for good measure.. Really FIRST rate musicianship . The album I have has some great steel on it... anyone know the steel player??? bob

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 26 May 2005 12:36 pm

Hey Bob, Norton just played Honolulu a couple of weeks ago.

Of course it was a very tasty and smokin' gig.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 26 May 2005 12:50 pm

John McFee.

I played a gig with Norton years ago at Sam's club in San Jose. Great, great player.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 26 May 2005 1:38 pm

Norton's local up here in North California. I run into him now and then. He doesn't usually have a steel player in his band.

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 26 May 2005 2:52 pm

Dancing round the stage blowing his harp with Cody at the Glasgow Apollo '76.
Happy days.
Cheers, Arch.

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 26 May 2005 3:24 pm

Talking about the musicians of the past.....how about a band I saw on TV out in Superior WI in 1973......Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks......nice western swing as I recall.....twin fiddles etc. Don't remember a steel player?? Not sure about that. Carolyn (piano) & I (steel) got $25. ea four nights a week all summer long. The bar owner played guitar & sang & wouldn't give us his Sunday night gig. (Had a couple of local youngsters on accordion & drums! do that one!)
Come Labor Day he cut us to 3 nights a week & we chartered the next canoe down the Great Lakes back to Chautauqua NY! I went back to work as a carpenters helper & Carolyn got a job for the Mayor of Jamestown NY, Stan Lundine, as his administrative assistant! That was the end of our little duo? She later was elected mayor for one 2 yr term! Our son is out in LA getting a degree @ USC! in computer science! He knows about Bobby Lee & steel radio etc, but won't have a steel til I leave mine to him! He went to Norwich with Phil Griffin & I when Mike Perlowin & Robby Turner were there.....maybe Tom Morrell, was that 1997?? His first year at Columbia as I recall!<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 26 May 2005 at 04:26 PM.]</p></FONT>

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 27 May 2005 9:50 am

I have a Norton Buffalo album. One of their
1st recordings, I think. Has a skippity tune on it called "Walking Down To Suzie's".

I think Norton was in the movie "The Rose",
blowin' harp in 'Big Brother ATHC'.

He set himself apart back then as a harp player cuz he played a diatonic harp with the little slide to change pitch.

Good steel on that album, too.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 27 May 2005 11:02 am

I have two vinyl albums by Norton Buffalo , Desert Horizon (-78) and Lovin`in the Valley of the Moon (-77). John McFee plays on a couple songs each but most cuts feature (band member ?) Fred Jones on steel .Any info on Fred Jones ? He plays beautiful stuff throughout the albums . I think they are/were available as two albums on one CD. Definitely worth checking out!!!!!

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Olli Haavisto,
Finland

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 27 May 2005 12:54 pm

I see Norton about once every year or two. He is playing up here this Summer at our Zoo's Summer Concert Series: http://www.oregonzoo.org/Concerts/index.htm
I'll be seeing several shows there this year.
I was turned on to Norton when I was about 15 years old (Desert Horizon was pretty new then). He was playing a gig with the Lost Planet Airmen backing him up, at Donner Summit, CA. I've seen him mostly as The Norton Buffalo Band, and also with Roy Rogers (blues guitar slinger) and when he was on tour with the Steve Miller Band, too.
Great Stuff!
His bass player was with Boz Skaggs back in the day.

John Ciano · Post by **John Ciano** » 27 May 2005 8:12 pm

In case there is a forumite member who just returned from Mars after 20 years Norton was a big part of the Commander Cody & TLPAM album " We Got a Live One Here". This album is definitly a must for any kick a$$ country music fan. The songs are tremendous and Bobby Black is hotter than July in Tucson.

Paul Honeycutt · Post by **Paul Honeycutt** » 27 May 2005 10:13 pm

I saw Norton around the time "Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon" came out. He had a big band with fiddle, pedal steel, lead guitar... There might have been a keyboard player. A friend's brother was the fiddler. Norton broke up the band to take the part in "The Rose."
That first album is great.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 28 May 2005 1:41 am

Never did hear much about Fred after Norton Buffalo, but Fred was one monster of a picker here in the Bay Area back in those days.

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Carter D10 9p/10k, NV400