Phillip Jackson (September 28, 1951 – October 30, 2009), best known as Norton Buffalo, was an American singer-songwriter,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

harmonica player, record producer, bandleader and recording artist who was a versatile proponent of the harmonica, including

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, ...

and

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize Scale (music), scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, Interval (music), intervals, Chord (music), chords, Musical note, notes, musical sty ...

Career

Buffalo, the son of a harmonica player, was born in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, California, and raised in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

. At John F. Kennedy High School he performed in a series of bands. By the early 1970s he gained renown as a

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

musician, playing with such Bay Area groups as

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

, The Moonlighters led by

Bill Kirchen William Knight Kirchen (born June 29, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid-1970s and later worked with Nick Lowe. ''Guitar Player'' magazine desc ...

, and Elvin Bishop. In early 1976 Buffalo joined the "farewell" European tour of

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 i ...

, and was recorded on the band's final live album '' We've Got a Live One Here!'', which included Buffalo's song "Eighteen Wheels." After the tour, Buffalo returned to California, briefly played with a number of local bands, and later in 1976 he joined the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

's Fly Like an Eagle Tour. He also played harmonica on the band's

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

follow-up album '' Book of Dreams'', released in May 1977. Buffalo appeared on the tracks "Winter Time" and "The Stake." By the late 1970s Buffalo had formed his own band, The Stampede, and recorded two

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

albums: ''Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon'' and ''Desert Horizon.'' In 1977 his harmonica work appeared on

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

's '' Sweet Forgiveness'' and

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

' ''

Livin' on the Fault Line ''Livin' on the Fault Line'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on August 19, 1977, by Warner Bros. Records. It is one of the few Doobie Brothers albums of the 1970s which did not ...

'' albums. Not long after the release of his second album in 1979, Buffalo and his band were featured on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

music television program ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...

''. In 1981 he produced an album for the popular Northwest band Wheatfield. He was a member of the

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

band High Noon in the late 70s and early 80s with

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Polyte ...

Mike Hinton Michael David Hinton (May 4, 1956 – August 1, 2013) was an American guitarist, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. During his career, he played with numerous bands, including Norton Buffalo and the Knockouts, High Noon, Merl Saunders & the R ...

, Jim McPhearson,

Vicki Randle Vicki Randle (born December 11, 1954)Hillgirlz, the les ...

, and Bobby Vega, and played with Saunders on the Rainforest Band album ''It's in the Air'' in 1993. Buffalo was legendary among harpists (harmonicists) for his solo on Bonnie Raitt's treatment of Del Shannon's " Runaway", in which he switches quickly between four different harps (F, E♭, D♭, and C) to play across the chord changes in the song (Cm, B♭, A♭, G). An example of Buffalo's solo on "Runaway" can be seen on Bonnie Raitt's portion of the "Midnight Special" TV program broadcast on June 10, 1977, entitled "Little Feat and Friends." Buffalo also appeared in and worked on several films. He did a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in the rock movie, '' The Rose'' starring

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

, where he was a member of the band (on harmonica and

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

) and spoke a line or two. He had another cameo in

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. One of the "New Hollywood" directors, Cimino achieved fame with ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best D ...

's 1979 film '' Heaven's Gate'' starring

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...

and

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...

. He also co-wrote the music for the films ''Stacy's Knights'', and ''

Eddie Macon's Run ''Eddie Macon's Run'' is a 1983 American action thriller drama film written and directed by Jeff Kanew, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by James McLendon. It stars Kirk Douglas and John Schneider, and also includes John Goodman in his ...

'' with guitarist

. Norton performed and recorded as a member of

The Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

for over 32 years. He often performed and recorded music as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, and appeared on 180 albums. A cover of Buffalo's song ''Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox'' was in heavy rotation at

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...

concerts from 1991 until

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

's death in 1995, and appeared on the live release '' Shining Star''. Norton continued to tour with

thru early 2009, including a show on Maui, with recognizable harmonies & harmonica. On September 2, 2009, Buffalo was diagnosed with stage four

adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma (; plural adenocarcinomas or adenocarcinomata ) (AC) is a type of cancerous tumor that can occur in several parts of the body. It is defined as neoplasia of epithelial tissue that has glandular origin, glandular characteristics, or ...

of the lower right lobe of the lung. The next day, he found out that it had spread to his brain. Norton retired to his home in

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

, California, where he sought treatment at

Feather River Hospital Adventist Health Feather River, also known as Feather River Hospital, is a 101-bed acute care hospital located in the town of Paradise, California, Paradise, in Butte County, California, with a wide array of outpatient departments and services de ...

and died there on October 30, 2009. As a benefit for the Buffalo family, friends of Buffalo threw "A Celebration of Life: Tribute To Norton Buffalo" at the

Fox Theater Fox Theatre or Fox Theater or Fox Theater Building may refer to: U.S. * Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, Arizona) *Fox Theater (Bakersfield, California) * Fox Theatre (Fullerton, California) * Fox Theater, Westwood Village (Los Angeles, California) * Fo ...

, California, on January 22 and 23, 2010. Headlined by the Steve Miller Band, the event honored his life and career. Other acts and performers included The Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, George Thorogood, Roy Rogers, Maria Muldaur, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Carlos Reyes and the Norton Buffalo Band.

Awards

Buffalo played harmonica on two tracks on The Doobie Brothers'

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-award-winning 1978 album ''

Minute by Minute ''Minute by Minute'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released on December 1, 1978, by Warner Bros. Records. It was their last album to include members John Hartman (until '' Cycles'') and Jeff "Skunk" Bax ...

''. He was also nominated for a Grammy in 1992 for "Best Country Instrumental Performance" for the tune "Song for Jessica" from his 1991 duet album ''R&B'' with Guitarist

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label. Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...

Discography

* ''Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon'' (1977),

* ''Desert Horizon'' (1978), Capitol * ''R & B'' (1991),

– with slide guitarist

* ''Travellin’ Tracks'' (1992), Blind Pig – with Roy Rogers * ''Here Comes the Rain'' (1993),

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

– guest artist appearing with

Laurie Lewis Laurie Lewis is an innovative American singer, musician, and songwriter in the genre of bluegrass music. History Laurie Lewis was born in Long Beach, California on September 28, 1950. Her family moved regularly from place to place until she w ...

* ''It's in the Air'' (1993), Summertone – guest artist appearing with

& the Rainforest Band * ''In the Third Degree'' (1996), Mirage Independent – guest artist appearing with James Ibold and the Impostors * ''King of the Highway'' (2000), Blind Pig *Christmas Jug Band- Uncorked (2002) Guest artist singing I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Globe Records * ''Roots of Our Nature'' (2003), Blind Big – with Roy Rogers * ''The Spirit of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'' (2008), Daniel Ho Creations – with George Kahumoku Jr. * ''From Paradise'' (2012), Moon Valley Music – with George Kahumoku Jr. With Elvin Bishop *'' Big Fun'' (Alligator, 1988)

Filmography

* '' Heaven's Gate'' (1979) * '' The Rose'' (1979) * ''

Blood Beach ''Blood Beach'' is a 1981 American horror film written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom and starring David Huffman, John Saxon, and Burt Young. The premise, conceived by Steven Nalevansky, involves a creature lurking beneath the sand of Santa Moni ...

'' (1980) * ''

'' (1983) co-wrote the music with Mike Hinton * ''Stacy's Knights'' (1983) co-wrote the music with Mike Hinton

References

External links