Buffalo Springfield

The band took their name from a steamroller manufacturer. ∙ Stephen Stills unsuccessfully auditioned to be in The Monkees. ∙ Neil Young’s first “axe” was a “little plastic Arthur Godfrey ukulele.” His second was a banjo. ∙ Stephen Stills and Richie Furay first met while playing in the Au Go-Go Singers at Greenwich Village’s Cafe Au Go-Go. ∙ Pre-Buffalo Springfield, bassist Bruce Palmer played in The Mynah Birds along with Neil Young and future funk legend Rick James. ∙ Prior to Buffalo Springfield, drummer Dewey Martin lived in Nashville and backed such country legends as Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, and Roy Orbison. ∙ In May and June 1966, they played the Whisky a Go Go for a month-and-a-half straight, opening for The Doors, Them, and Love. ∙ Written in response to the Sunset Strip curfew riots, “For What It’s Worth” has been covered and sampled by dozens of artists, including Public Enemy. ∙ The highly influential band only made three studio albums, none of which reached the Top 25. ∙ Tom Petty inducted them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.