You ever wonder how a band that barely lasted two years managed to change the entire trajectory of American rock music? It’s kinda wild when you think about it. Most groups spend a decade trying to find their footing, but Buffalo Springfield basically exploded onto the scene in 1966 and imploded by 1968.
In between, they gave us the definitive protest anthem of the decade and launched enough superstars to fill a Hall of Fame wing.
But if you’re asking who are the members of buffalo springfield, you’re usually looking for more than just a list of names. You’re looking for the chemistry—and the friction—that made them legendary. This wasn't just a band; it was a powder keg of egos and talent.
The Original Five: The Lineup That Started It All
The story goes that Stephen Stills and Richie Furay were stuck in a Los Angeles traffic jam on Sunset Boulevard when they spotted a black 1953 Pontiac hearse. They knew that hearse. It belonged to Neil Young, a guy they’d crossed paths with back in Canada. Stills did an illegal U-turn, and right there on the street, the core of the band came together.
Honestly, the original lineup was a perfect storm of folk, country, and R&B sensibilities.
- Stephen Stills: The "general." He was the driving force, a Texas-born multi-instrumentalist who wrote "For What It's Worth."
- Neil Young: The enigmatic Canadian. Even then, he was the wildcard, bringing a haunting, weird edge to the songwriting.
- Richie Furay: The secret weapon. He had this incredibly smooth, melodic voice that balanced out the grit of Stills and Young.
- Bruce Palmer: The bassist. Another Canadian who had played with Young in a group called the Mynah Birds (alongside a very young Rick James, believe it or not).
- Dewey Martin: The drummer. He was a veteran of the Nashville scene and the Dillards, giving the band their essential country-rock backbone.
Three guitarists who could all sing and write? That just didn't happen in 1966. It was a lot like having three lead chefs in one kitchen. Great food, but a lot of broken plates.
Why the Lineup Kept Shifting
If you look at the back of their albums, you’ll notice things get messy pretty fast. Buffalo Springfield was plagued by what we’d now call "personnel issues."
Bruce Palmer was the first major casualty. He kept getting arrested for marijuana possession and subsequently deported back to Canada. It became a running joke, except it wasn't funny for the band. They had to cycle through fill-ins like Ken Koblun and Jim Fielder just to keep touring.
Then you had Neil Young. Neil has always been a "lone wolf" type, and back then, he was already drifting in and out of the group. He even skipped their legendary Monterey Pop Festival performance in 1967.
Guess who filled in for him? David Crosby.
Yeah, the guy from The Byrds. That guest appearance was basically the first spark of what would eventually become Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The Arrival of Jim Messina
By the time the band was recording their final album, Last Time Around, Bruce Palmer was out for good. Enter Jim Messina. He started as an engineer and producer for the group but ended up becoming the official bassist.
Messina was the one who actually had to piece that last record together because the band members weren't even speaking to each other by then. He’d later go on to form Poco with Richie Furay and then, of course, find massive fame with Kenny Loggins.
The Friction That Fueled the Music
It’s easy to say "egos" destroyed them, but that's a bit of a cop-out.
The real issue was that they were all too good to be in a secondary role. Stills wanted to lead. Young wanted to explore his own strange visions. Furay was finding his voice as a top-tier songwriter (check out "Kind Woman" if you want to hear him at his best).
They were basically a "supergroup" before anyone had even heard of them.
The tension was the engine. When Stills and Young "battled" with their guitars on stage, it was electric. But you can only sustain that kind of high-wire act for so long before someone falls. By May 1968, after a show in Long Beach, they called it quits.
Where Are They Now? (The Legacy)
The original members left a trail of classic rock history in their wake.
Stills and Young, obviously, became icons. Richie Furay pioneered country-rock with Poco before eventually becoming a pastor in Colorado. Sadly, we've lost two of the originals: Bruce Palmer passed away in 2004, and Dewey Martin died in 2009.
In 2010 and 2011, the surviving trio—Stills, Young, and Furay—actually reunited for some shows, including the Bridge School Benefit and a brief tour. They brought in Joe Vitale on drums and Rick Rosas on bass to fill the gaps. It was a brief glimpse of the magic that started in that 1966 traffic jam.
Your Buffalo Springfield Listening List
If you're just getting into them, don't just stick to the hits. Look for these tracks to see how the different members contributed:
- "Mr. Soul" – Pure Neil Young grit.
- "Bluebird" – An epic Stephen Stills showcase.
- "A Child's Claim to Fame" – Richie Furay proving he could hang with the best of them.
- "Everydays" – A jazzy, weird track that shows how experimental they were willing to get.
The best way to understand the members of Buffalo Springfield is to listen to the three albums they left behind. Start with Buffalo Springfield Again. It's widely considered their masterpiece and captures that moment where the folk-rock of the early 60s started turning into the heavy, complex rock of the 70s. Dive into the liner notes, find the session credits, and you'll see why this "failed" band is still the foundation of so much music we love today.
