Bruce Palmer
September 9, 1946 – October 1, 2004
Bruce Palmer is best remembered as the bassist for Buffalo Springfield. Born and raised in Canada, he played in a few local bands throughout the early ’60s. One in particular, Jack London & The Sparrows would evolve into Steppenwolf after he left to join the Ontario, Canada based R&B group, Mynah Birds, featuring Neil Young on guitar and future funk star, Rick James on vocals. The band signed to Motown, but before the launch of their first record, it was found out that James was AWOL from the Navy so the label walked away from the group who quickly disbanded. Palmer and Young moved to Los Angeles where they met up with Stephen Stills and eventually formed Buffalo Springfield with Richie Furay and Dewey Martin. With songs like “For What It’s Worth” and “Mr. Soul,” Buffalo Springfield’s psychedelic folk rock would help define the ’60s generation. Unfortunately, Palmer found himself caught up in the trappings of rock stardom. Drug issues lead to a couple of arrests and deportation and thus his removal from the band. Palmer eventually resolved his legal and drug problems and was back to work in the US, at one point, playing bass for Young in his Trans Band of the early ’80s. Palmer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Buffalo Springfield in 1996. He was 58 when he died of a heart attack on October 1, 2004.
What You Should Own
