Died On This Date (June 2, 2012) Frazier Mohawk / Helped Form Buffalo Springfield

Frazier Mohawk (Born Barry Friedman)
December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012

Frazier Mohawk was a man of many talents who was a prominent if not well-known figure of the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s.  One of his earliest jobs was doing publicity for radio and television host, Bob Eubanks.  He quickly parlayed that into doing sound mixes for bands performing on TV.  He also worked as a publicist for Ike & Tina Turner and the Troubadour nightclub in those early days as well as the Beatles‘ Hollywood Bowl performance.  In 1966, while Stephen Stills was staying at his house, Mohawk was driving Stills and Richie Furay along Sunset Boulevard when they passed Neil Young and Bruce Palmer who were driving in a hearse in the opposite direction.  Mohawk turned the car around and the four met and soon formed Buffalo Springfield with Dewey Martin.  Mohawk took care of much of the band’s early business – including landing them a career-defining slot on the Byrds tour, before they hired on management. As a producer, Mohawk worked with Nico, Paul Butterfield, and John Cale.  He went on to open and run a studio/commune that was partially funded by Elektra Records in Northern California, but it eventually closed when it became more of a hang-out than a productive recording studio.  Tired of the music industry, Mohawk moved to Canada during the mid ’70s and started a traveling circus, and later, Puck’s Farm which was a recording studio surrounded by family attractions.   Frazier Mohawk was 71 when he passed away on June 2, 2012.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.

Died On This Date (January 31, 2009) Dewey Martin / Buffalo Springfield

Dewey Martin (Born Walter Midkiff)
September 30, 1940 – January 31, 2009

deweyDewey Martin is best remembered as the drummer of Buffalo Springfield.  Martin first began playing in a group while still in high school and soon was playing in combos around the Ottawa area.  He later moved to Nashville where he played on tracks by such greats as Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline and Carl Perkins.  He became part of Faron Young’s band, and decided to stay in California when they went out there on tour.  In 1966, he became the founding drummer for Buffalo Springfield and stayed with the band until they broke up in 1968.  Martin continued working in various bands and on numerous recordings well into the 2000s.  He died of what is believed to have been natural causes on January 31, 2009.  He was 68.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums and Brett Ortone for the assist.


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Died On This Date (October 1, 2004) Bruce Palmer / Buffalo Springfield

Bruce Palmer
September 9, 1946 – October 1, 2004

brucepalmerBruce 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.

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