The Daily Swarm

Wikipedia:

The son of a harmonica player, Norton Buffalo was born in Oakland 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! [5], 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 with 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.⁶

San Francisco Gate:

Norton Buffalo, harmonica virtuoso, one-of-a-kind performer and consummate accompanist to the stars, died Friday night from cancer in Feather River Hospital, near his home in Paradise (Butte County). He was 58.

“He was the antithesis of East Coast cynical,” said Raitt, who spent Sunday morning watching Buffalo videos on YouTube. “He was always in funny mode without being too gooey about it. He’s been that guy all this time. In one guy, you got all the hope and optimism of the ‘70s.”

Mr. Buffalo played on the Grammy-winning Doobie Brothers album “Minute by Minute,” and the recent children’s music CD by Kenny Loggins. With Bette Midler, he played in the band and acted in the film “The Rose.” He collaborated on tours and a series of recordings for more than 20 years with blues guitarist Roy Rogers. One of their songs, “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox,” was a cornerstone in the ‘90s live repertoire of the Jerry Garcia Band.

“Norton Buffalo was a character and a half,” Rogers said. “He had a sense of humor. He liked to have a good time, and the joy of his playing came out.”

Miller said: “He was a complete original. He worked with all kinds of people. He did tons and tons of projects. Everybody who worked with him loved him, really enjoyed working with him.”

“He had way more music in him than I could use,” Miller said. “I just had more work for him than everybody else.”

“Nobody Wants Me”

PressDemocrat.com:

Just days from his death, Buffalo told Silva he was working on new songs. “‘I got a lot of music still in me,’” Buffalo assured his friend.

Buffalo went into a coma Thursday night and was put on life support, then died at about 3 p.m. Friday, Silva said.

Buffalo was born in Oakland and raised in Richmond. He was part of a musical family and took up the harmonica as a boy, according to his Web site.

As well as his wife, Buffalo leaves three grown children, daughter Sierra, and sons Aisah and Elias.

Family members are planning a service in Paradise, as well as a service in Sonoma County, said Rogers.

The Daily Swarm previously covered Mr. Buffalo’s illness.

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