Dewey Martin, drummer of Buffalo Springfield, passes away.

[GReedDiamond]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Dewey Martin, drummer for the short-lived but long-resonating rock band Buffalo Springfield whose career after the group split never ignited like those of his former band mates Neil Young and Stephen Stills, has died. He was 68.

He was found dead Sunday by a roommate in his Van Nuys apartment, longtime friend Lisa Lenes said Thursday. The cause of death has not been determined. "We believe it was natural causes," Lenes said, adding that he had suffered health problems in recent years and performed publicly only sporadically.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-dewey-martin6-2009feb06,0,7781666.story

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I had not seen this posted on DU yet, so my apologies if I missed it.

Between 1978-1980, I was in a band (first as a vocalist and later as drummer) called Scott Thomas Lowe and Atascadero. Atascadero doesn't show up in any of Dewey's bios, such as at Wikipedia, but the band performed live with Dewey on drums quite a bit around L.A. during the early days of the "new wave"/punk scene. Another member of Atascadero with an interesting history was bassist Jim Fielder, who had also performed with Buffalo Springfield (as well as The Mothers of Invention, and he was a founding member of Blood Sweat & Tears).

Dewey was Atascadero's first drummer, and around the time that Dewey moved on from Atascadero, I bought the Camco drum kit (with Oak Lawn badges), that he used with the Buffalo Springfield. I still have and use those drums to this day. Dewey was an abrasive kinda guy, a hustler if you will, but he was basically a good guy and was a major influence on me, in that, I probably never would have become a drummer were it not for Dewey.

As they say, R.I.P. Dewey, we'll miss ya...

Here are a couple of pictures of Dewey with Atascadero:

[panader0]

1. Wow, 68 Rip Buffalo Springfield was one of the best.

[catnhatnh]

2. Thank you...

...for what it's worth.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. He also performed as "New Buffalo Springfield" with himself as the only original member...

...not to disrespect him, but it was a part of his history. Maybe Neil, Stephen and Ritchie will forgive him for that now. They sure didn't in his lifetime.

New Buffalo Springfield

When the original band broke up Martin formed a new version in September 1968. Dubbed "New Buffalo Springfield", the line up comprised guitarists Dave Price (Davy Jones' stand-in in The Monkees) and Gary Rowles (son of jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles); bass player Bob Apperson; drummer Don Poncher; and horn player Jim Price, who later became a top session musician for The Rolling Stones and Joe Cocker among others.

The new band toured extensively and appeared at the highly publicised "Holiday Rock Festival" in San Francisco on December 25-26 but soon fell foul of Stephen Stills and Neil Young who took legal action to prevent Martin from using the band's name.

In February 1969, Martin and Dave Price formed a second version of New Buffalo Springfield with guitarist Bob "BJ" Jones and bass player Randy Fuller, brother of Bobby Fuller. The band did some tentative recordings with producer Tom Dowd overseeing but they were scrapped.

The second line up was expanded with another guitarist Joey Newman in June 1969 but two months later, Martin was fired and the remaining members carried on as Blue Mountain Eagle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Martin_(musician)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Whoa.............

We're gettin' old. Have you noticed how many rockers are dying these past few weeks? It's like every other day I'm reading someone's obituary.

When I was at Antioch in Yellow Springs, OH, in the late sixties, Richie Furay used to jam with students when he'd come home - his dad owned the drugstore in the village. Nice guy, who eventually turned into a Christian pastor, but still makes music.

Another old great bites the dust.

Damn.

[LuckyLib]

5. Good grief, we were young. Look at Stills and Young in that photo.

That was the beginning of some great music.

[Bake]

16. I recognize Stills, but which one is Young?

Holy crap.

Bake

[mitchum]

18. He's on the far right

[Bake]

19. Thanks, I recognize him now!

Damn, he hasn't exactly aged well, has he?

Bake

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Expecting to fly

There you stood on the
edge of your feather,
Expecting to fly.
While I laughed, I wondered whether
I could wave goodbye,
Knowin' that you'd gone.
By the summer it was healing,
We had said goodbye.
All the years we'd spent with feeling
Ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry.

[dweller]

7. a cover of a Buffalo Springfield song

just b/c it had some pics of Dewey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew05_bObNz0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Martin_(musician)

RIP Dewey, sweet songs in the everlasting,
dp

[Gregorian]

8. We also lost Lux Interior yesterday. Lead singer of The Cramps.

Ron Ashton of Iggy Pop a few weeks ago.

Man, we're losing them left and right. We lived hard. Beer and joints and who knows what.

[AFA]

9. Rock and Roll Woman

I still listen to it. One of my all time favorites. Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbXKEjIApac
The audience is catatonic. You know you're getting old when you've actually seen lambchop sideburns and Nehru collars in person.

[enigmatic]

10. RIP Dewey

[byronius]

11. Love Buffalo Springfield. RIP Dewey Martin.

[Trajan]

12. Stick around while a clown who is sick does the trick of disaster

They didn't last long, but Buffalo Springfield had an impact ....

Remember 'STOP Children, what's that sound ... Everybody look what's going down' ? ....

Neil Young's first 'hit' ? ... Mr. Soul .... (A GREAT guitar riff @ age 11, when I first picked up a guitar ) ... Damn I loved that song ....

Both were Buffalo Springfield cuts ....

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2yunk_buffalo-springfield-mr-soul-live-hp_music

RIP Dewey ....

[EFerrari]

13. For what it's worth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7kvLSomvSA&NR=1

:cry:

[EFerrari]

14. A child's claim to fame!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphIrNUrN98

[EFerrari]

15. Bluebird (long)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MamwKMjo_TQ

[Ohio Joe]

17. RIP - nt

[callous taoboy]

20. Buffalo Springfield had a powerful influence on me during my 20's and

this was during the 80's. I detested the 80's and found a lot of solace listening to music from the 60's for the first time.

[dbt]

21. I read where he also played with The Dillards for awhile.

Damn, he got to play with some (other) great musicians in his time! For me, it didn't get any better than hearing "Mr. Soul" (flip side of "Bluebird") on a Seeburg 100-O-Matic jukebox turned up loud as a bucket of hell.

RIP Dewey Martin. You done real good.

:smoke:

[GReedDiamond]

22. Apparently it was one of the Dillards...

...who gave Dewey the phone number that led to his joining Buffalo Springfield.

Dewey played with a whole list of musical icons: Patsy Cline, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison amongst them. His last single, "Caress Me Pretty Music" b/w "There Must Be A Reason" was credited to Dewey Martin and Medicine Ball, but the backup band was the Elvis Presley band.

http://www.nickwarburton.com/wordpress/?p=73

He never talked too much about his former gigs when he was the drummer in the band I was in.

[Raine]

23. Sad news

R-I-P Dewey