Twitter followers! Some of you may notice that I deactivated the Southern Rock Hall of Fame Twitter account. It was just too much to keep up with. Moving forward, all info of me, my writings, music, life and the Hall of Fame will be Tweeted from @buffalotribe Thanks!
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Buffalo Drops New Album with a Lot of Help from His Friends
My new album is available!
MAKIN' IT BACK TO MACON was produced by legendary Capricorn Records
producer Paul Hornsby (who also plays piano!) , and features special guests
Tommy Talton (Cowboy), Billy Bob Thornton (Oscar and Golden Globe winning
Actor/Director/Writer/Drummer/Singer), "The Georgia Songbird" EG
Kight, along with drummer Towson Engsberg (Tommy Crain & The Crosstown
Allstars), bassist Joey Parrish (Silver Travis Band), Guitarist Daniel Jackson
(Silver Travis Band), guitarist Greg Yeary (Buff's long time band mate from
Buffalo Hut Coalition) and Austin singer songwriter Billy Eli on acoustic
guitar!
The album is available at CDBaby and soon on iTunes, Amazon
and everywhere, or you can purchase directly from Buffalo if you'd like it
signed! Just email Michael for details michaelbuffalosmith@gmail.com Southern
Fried Americans, Southern Rock and Blues! Get you some!
Friday, April 6, 2018
Buffalo Releases New EP Recorded in Austin, Texas
The Austin Sessions
April 2018
The Austin Sessions (Dreaming Buffalo) is the first release from Spartanburg, SC artist Michael Buffalo Smith since 2005's Something Heavy. The four song EP contains songs written by Smith that include "Painting Her Toenails," a song written several years ago after observing his wife sitting on the front porch of their house late one night, sipping wine and painting her toenails. The only light available was reflecting from the huge Harvest Moon overhead, which inspired the song.
"Empty Eyes" was written in the 1980's but never recorded for release until now, and "Karl Childers Blues" was written about the main character in Buffalo's favorite movie, Slingblade. The song is dedicated to Buffalo's buddy, the actor and screenwriter who created Karl, Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton.
"She Likes to Ride a Fatboy" is a song about a woman and her obsession over Harley Davidson motorcycles. What did you think it was about?
The session took place in Austin, Texas in December 2016 at Green Garage Studio, and was produced by local heroes Billy Eli and Jim Hemphill, both of whom also played on the album, along with Joey Parrish (Silver Travis Band) on bass and Michael McGeary (Jerry Jeff Walker) on drums.
Smith has previously released five albums, and is a respected journalist and author, founder of Gritz magazine as well as Kudzoo magazine. His eighth book, From Macon to Jacksonville, will be published in October, and a new album, Makin’ it Back to Macon, produced by the legendary Paul Hornsby, will be released in May.
The Austin Sessions EP is available for download from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon , Google Play and other online outlets, and physical copies of the CD will be available by mid-April at CD Baby, Amazon or directly from the artist.
For review and airplay copies, write michaelbuffalosmith@gmail.com. Buffalo is also available for media interviews in support of the release.
April 2018
"Empty Eyes" was written in the 1980's but never recorded for release until now, and "Karl Childers Blues" was written about the main character in Buffalo's favorite movie, Slingblade. The song is dedicated to Buffalo's buddy, the actor and screenwriter who created Karl, Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton.
"She Likes to Ride a Fatboy" is a song about a woman and her obsession over Harley Davidson motorcycles. What did you think it was about?
The session took place in Austin, Texas in December 2016 at Green Garage Studio, and was produced by local heroes Billy Eli and Jim Hemphill, both of whom also played on the album, along with Joey Parrish (Silver Travis Band) on bass and Michael McGeary (Jerry Jeff Walker) on drums.
Smith has previously released five albums, and is a respected journalist and author, founder of Gritz magazine as well as Kudzoo magazine. His eighth book, From Macon to Jacksonville, will be published in October, and a new album, Makin’ it Back to Macon, produced by the legendary Paul Hornsby, will be released in May.
The Austin Sessions EP is available for download from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon , Google Play and other online outlets, and physical copies of the CD will be available by mid-April at CD Baby, Amazon or directly from the artist.
For review and airplay copies, write michaelbuffalosmith@gmail.com. Buffalo is also available for media interviews in support of the release.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
New Issue of KUDZOO Magazine, Tribute to Scott Boyer
Hi Gang. . .
Welcome to issue #25! Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we have been doing KUDZOO for six and a half years. Time flies when you’re having fun.
This issue, we look back at 2017, listing the best albums, books and movies of the year, and present our far too large listing of musicians we lost during the year. It was a terrible year for Southern rockers, losing two founding members of the Allman brothers plus their producer and friend, as well as two founding members of Molly Hatchet. And then there was the great Tom Petty. As you can see in the article, these were but a few tragic of the losses. In fact, the past two years together robbed us of an unbelievable amount of great artists.
And speaking of passings, we had this issue ready to publish when we received word that founding Cowboy member and singer/songwriter Scott Boyer had passed away the night before in his sleep in Killen, Alabama. It was a shock and a heartbreaker. All I could think was “we have to scrap the cover and put our buddy Scott on the cover,” which we did. As a tribute, we decided to run my interview with Scott that appears in my book Capricorn Rising (Mercer University Press). Rest easy, Scott. We will miss you buddy.
We also present an archived interview with Gregg Allman in tribute, and a never before published interview I had with Butch Trucks just a little over a month before his tragic death. Butch was in a great mood that day and very excited about life and getting back out on the road with his band Freight Train.
We pay tribute to our friend Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet by digging up an article we did in the first issue of GRITZ magazine over 15 years ago in which Dave shares his famous fried chicken recipe, and as a bonus, his own take on cornbread. I’ll never forget how happy Dave was to see that issue come out. He asked for extra copies. He couldn’t wait to show it to his mother. I thought that was cool.
There’s a restaurant review you need to check out, especially if you plan to be in Upstate SC anytime soon. As always there are the usual album, DVD and book reviews in a blatant attempt to influence your personal tastes.Tom Bell shares some great photographs from the first Southern Rock Cruise, and our friend Electra looks at the problem of drug addiction and it’s long term effects in her Rock and Roll Health Chick column.
I hope you guys dig this issue. Please e-mail me and let me know. We welcome all communications including “letters to the editor” for publication. Thank you for reading! Rock on!
- Michael Buffalo Smith
michaelbuffalosmith@gmail.com
READ ISSUE 25 NOW
Welcome to issue #25! Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we have been doing KUDZOO for six and a half years. Time flies when you’re having fun.
This issue, we look back at 2017, listing the best albums, books and movies of the year, and present our far too large listing of musicians we lost during the year. It was a terrible year for Southern rockers, losing two founding members of the Allman brothers plus their producer and friend, as well as two founding members of Molly Hatchet. And then there was the great Tom Petty. As you can see in the article, these were but a few tragic of the losses. In fact, the past two years together robbed us of an unbelievable amount of great artists.And speaking of passings, we had this issue ready to publish when we received word that founding Cowboy member and singer/songwriter Scott Boyer had passed away the night before in his sleep in Killen, Alabama. It was a shock and a heartbreaker. All I could think was “we have to scrap the cover and put our buddy Scott on the cover,” which we did. As a tribute, we decided to run my interview with Scott that appears in my book Capricorn Rising (Mercer University Press). Rest easy, Scott. We will miss you buddy.
We also present an archived interview with Gregg Allman in tribute, and a never before published interview I had with Butch Trucks just a little over a month before his tragic death. Butch was in a great mood that day and very excited about life and getting back out on the road with his band Freight Train.
We pay tribute to our friend Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet by digging up an article we did in the first issue of GRITZ magazine over 15 years ago in which Dave shares his famous fried chicken recipe, and as a bonus, his own take on cornbread. I’ll never forget how happy Dave was to see that issue come out. He asked for extra copies. He couldn’t wait to show it to his mother. I thought that was cool.
There’s a restaurant review you need to check out, especially if you plan to be in Upstate SC anytime soon. As always there are the usual album, DVD and book reviews in a blatant attempt to influence your personal tastes.Tom Bell shares some great photographs from the first Southern Rock Cruise, and our friend Electra looks at the problem of drug addiction and it’s long term effects in her Rock and Roll Health Chick column.
I hope you guys dig this issue. Please e-mail me and let me know. We welcome all communications including “letters to the editor” for publication. Thank you for reading! Rock on!
- Michael Buffalo Smith
michaelbuffalosmith@gmail.com
READ ISSUE 25 NOW
Monday, January 22, 2018
New Article on Southern Rock Hall Published
The following is an article submitted to the latest issue of KUDZOO Magazine by Angelo Saska. We hope it helps to explain the goals of the Hall of Fame. Thanks for reading! Buffalo
The Drive for a Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum
by Angelo Saska
The initial idea for The Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum can be traced back to 1982, when Michael Buffalo Smith first began taking notes and making plans to see his dream come to life. Beginning in the late ‘80s, Smith set about interviewing and recording conversations with hundreds of stars of the genre, and in 1998, he started Gritz Magazine, featuring many of these interviews, before changing over to the e-magazine, KUDZOO in 2011. Smith has since published seven books on the subject of Southern Rock, with his three latest books landing on the prestigious Mercer University Press imprint of Macon, Georgia. After over 25 years of covering the music of the south,Buffalo has come to be known as “The Ambassador of Southern Rock.”
“I’ve always felt that the South has given the world some of the greatest music ever,” says Smith. “From Elvis Presley and Little Richard to Hank Williams, as well as all of the Southern blues legends, all the way up through the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Drivin’ ‘n Cryin’, R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, Blackberry Smoke. . . All of these artists and so many others deserve a Southern Rock Hall of Fame.”
Smith’s dream includes a permanent, world-class home for the Southern Rock Hall of Fame. There has been interest expressed by City Leaders, musicians and others in several cities throughout the south.
“The main thing we want is a city that will get behind the project completely. We are a 501 (c) (3) non profit, tax exempt organization, and we are looking for someone to step up and donate an old building that we can renovate into a great museum, with historic character,” says Smith. “It needs to be easily accesible via the interstate. I truly feel the Hall of Fame will be a major asset to the city it is located in, bringing in commerce through vistors and shows staged by the HOF.”
The SRHOF will serve as a great destination for music lovers and those interested in Southern music history. Easily accessible and all inclusive, while also warm and inviting, the design will center on numerous gallery spaces of interactive exhibitions that will cover all aspects of Southern Rock’s musical history, from Capricorn Records to The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Charlie Daniels Band and more, including later bands such as REM, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain, and the B52’s. There will also be exhibits on various Southern artists whose music helped to give rise to rock and roll, and therefore Southern Rock. Artists such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, and many others. There will be permanent exhibits as well as special temporary displays.
Future plans for the Hall of Fame property include a small to mid-size Southern Rock Cafe, featuring a variety of lunch items, including favorite foods of various Southern Rock stars, sandwiches named after musicians, and various fresh items. The decor will be distinctly ‘70’s, with many framed album covers on display, and a large jukebox will house hundreds of the South’s most popular recordings.
In this facility, The SRHOF will be able to present and share an impressive collection of recordings, photographs, interviews, and other artifacts pertaining to the heritage and roots of Southern Rock and other styles of Southern music. Innovative cataloging and management systems implemented in the new space will also facilitate the use of the collections within the Museum by scholars, the public, and other interested organizations. Future plans also include Electronic devices which will enable patrons to hear a narrator talk about that particular display or item. We hope to use the voices of narrators including Billy Bob Thornton, Charlie Daniels, and others. There will also be video screens featuring performances by the artists that can be heard through the devices as well.
Besides clothing, instruments, and records and artifacts, the museum will also include an interactive database where visitors can search for photos, videos, songs, biographies, and album covers.
Additionally, a gift shop with an extensive collection of Southern Rock recordings, books and other Southern Rock related items will be included, as well Hall of Fame branded items and area related items. We’d like for the museum to draw attention to the area in which it is located, so that merchants and businesses may profit from the influx of museum patrons. In addition, we hope to work with existing businesses in the city to support one another, as well as cross promote with The Allman Brothers Band Big House Museum in Macon, The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, The Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis and others.
The SRHOF web site is active at www.southernrockhalloffame.org, and we have an active Instagram account that has amassed close to 1,500 followers since its launch a month ago. There is an active Hall of Fame Facebook page, as well as a new Twitter account launching soon. Plans will soon be set in motion for the first annual Southern Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Concert.
We welcome donations via the website, and are actively seeking team members to bring the project to life. If you are interested in being a part of the project, we need volunteers. We are especially looking for a volunteer lawyer, CPA, and folks to help solicit donations and publicize. We are also seeking a t-shirt printer willing to trade shirts for ads in KUDZOO magazinre. Anyone willing to volunteer please e-mail the editor at
buffalo@southernrockhalloffame.org •
The Drive for a Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum
by Angelo Saska
The initial idea for The Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum can be traced back to 1982, when Michael Buffalo Smith first began taking notes and making plans to see his dream come to life. Beginning in the late ‘80s, Smith set about interviewing and recording conversations with hundreds of stars of the genre, and in 1998, he started Gritz Magazine, featuring many of these interviews, before changing over to the e-magazine, KUDZOO in 2011. Smith has since published seven books on the subject of Southern Rock, with his three latest books landing on the prestigious Mercer University Press imprint of Macon, Georgia. After over 25 years of covering the music of the south,Buffalo has come to be known as “The Ambassador of Southern Rock.”
“I’ve always felt that the South has given the world some of the greatest music ever,” says Smith. “From Elvis Presley and Little Richard to Hank Williams, as well as all of the Southern blues legends, all the way up through the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Drivin’ ‘n Cryin’, R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, Blackberry Smoke. . . All of these artists and so many others deserve a Southern Rock Hall of Fame.”
Smith’s dream includes a permanent, world-class home for the Southern Rock Hall of Fame. There has been interest expressed by City Leaders, musicians and others in several cities throughout the south.
“The main thing we want is a city that will get behind the project completely. We are a 501 (c) (3) non profit, tax exempt organization, and we are looking for someone to step up and donate an old building that we can renovate into a great museum, with historic character,” says Smith. “It needs to be easily accesible via the interstate. I truly feel the Hall of Fame will be a major asset to the city it is located in, bringing in commerce through vistors and shows staged by the HOF.”
The SRHOF will serve as a great destination for music lovers and those interested in Southern music history. Easily accessible and all inclusive, while also warm and inviting, the design will center on numerous gallery spaces of interactive exhibitions that will cover all aspects of Southern Rock’s musical history, from Capricorn Records to The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Charlie Daniels Band and more, including later bands such as REM, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain, and the B52’s. There will also be exhibits on various Southern artists whose music helped to give rise to rock and roll, and therefore Southern Rock. Artists such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, and many others. There will be permanent exhibits as well as special temporary displays.
Future plans for the Hall of Fame property include a small to mid-size Southern Rock Cafe, featuring a variety of lunch items, including favorite foods of various Southern Rock stars, sandwiches named after musicians, and various fresh items. The decor will be distinctly ‘70’s, with many framed album covers on display, and a large jukebox will house hundreds of the South’s most popular recordings.
In this facility, The SRHOF will be able to present and share an impressive collection of recordings, photographs, interviews, and other artifacts pertaining to the heritage and roots of Southern Rock and other styles of Southern music. Innovative cataloging and management systems implemented in the new space will also facilitate the use of the collections within the Museum by scholars, the public, and other interested organizations. Future plans also include Electronic devices which will enable patrons to hear a narrator talk about that particular display or item. We hope to use the voices of narrators including Billy Bob Thornton, Charlie Daniels, and others. There will also be video screens featuring performances by the artists that can be heard through the devices as well.
Besides clothing, instruments, and records and artifacts, the museum will also include an interactive database where visitors can search for photos, videos, songs, biographies, and album covers.
Additionally, a gift shop with an extensive collection of Southern Rock recordings, books and other Southern Rock related items will be included, as well Hall of Fame branded items and area related items. We’d like for the museum to draw attention to the area in which it is located, so that merchants and businesses may profit from the influx of museum patrons. In addition, we hope to work with existing businesses in the city to support one another, as well as cross promote with The Allman Brothers Band Big House Museum in Macon, The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, The Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis and others.
The SRHOF web site is active at www.southernrockhalloffame.org, and we have an active Instagram account that has amassed close to 1,500 followers since its launch a month ago. There is an active Hall of Fame Facebook page, as well as a new Twitter account launching soon. Plans will soon be set in motion for the first annual Southern Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Concert.
We welcome donations via the website, and are actively seeking team members to bring the project to life. If you are interested in being a part of the project, we need volunteers. We are especially looking for a volunteer lawyer, CPA, and folks to help solicit donations and publicize. We are also seeking a t-shirt printer willing to trade shirts for ads in KUDZOO magazinre. Anyone willing to volunteer please e-mail the editor at
buffalo@southernrockhalloffame.org •
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Buffalo Recording
Hi Gang.
Just an update on my recording and performing career.
The four-song album I recorded at the end of 2016 has been held up several times, but is currently being mastered. Taking a cue from my buddy Marcus King, The Austin Sessions will be released as a digital download as opposed to CD. The album was produced by Jim Hemphill and Billy Eli in Austin, Texas, and features Eli, Hemphill, bassist Joey Parrish (Silver Travis) and Michael McGeary (drummer for Jerry Jeff Walker, among others). We recorded four of my original tunes. Watch this space for a release date.
I have also been recording my "dream" album, produced by Capricorn Records legend Paul Hornsby at his Muscadine Studios in Macon, GA. We have had four sessions over the past few months and are getting close. The album will be released is a full on CD digi-pack with lyrics sheet and more, as well as digital downloads. Performing on the album are some of my bestest friends and some former band mates as well! Also legendary guitar player Tommy Talton of Cowboy and his own Tommy Talton Band; drummer Towson Engsberg (Tommy Talton & The Crosstown Allstars; Greg Yeary (long time band mate in Buffalo Hut Coalition); Joey Parrish on bass (Silver Travis Band and former band mate with Buffalo Hut Coalition); guitarist Daniel Jackson (Silver Travis Band); Billy Eli (Texas singer/songwriter) Paul Hornsby (keyboards Hour Glass, many album appearances including Marshall Tucker Band); EG Kight (the Georgia Songbird!) and Hal Brandstetter. The album is in it's final stages, and I can hardly wait to release it!
As for live music. My personal appearances have very limited this past year, but gigs will soon be picking up. I have been rehearsing with singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Rick Keller, who, along with his wife, recently relocated here to Spartanburg, SC from Ohio. I'm looking forward to bringing our originals and cover tunes to Upstate SC venues very soon!
Look for more info on the Buffalo and his music at michaelbuffalo.net.
Thanks. Y'all keep on rockin.' Buff
Just an update on my recording and performing career.
The four-song album I recorded at the end of 2016 has been held up several times, but is currently being mastered. Taking a cue from my buddy Marcus King, The Austin Sessions will be released as a digital download as opposed to CD. The album was produced by Jim Hemphill and Billy Eli in Austin, Texas, and features Eli, Hemphill, bassist Joey Parrish (Silver Travis) and Michael McGeary (drummer for Jerry Jeff Walker, among others). We recorded four of my original tunes. Watch this space for a release date.
I have also been recording my "dream" album, produced by Capricorn Records legend Paul Hornsby at his Muscadine Studios in Macon, GA. We have had four sessions over the past few months and are getting close. The album will be released is a full on CD digi-pack with lyrics sheet and more, as well as digital downloads. Performing on the album are some of my bestest friends and some former band mates as well! Also legendary guitar player Tommy Talton of Cowboy and his own Tommy Talton Band; drummer Towson Engsberg (Tommy Talton & The Crosstown Allstars; Greg Yeary (long time band mate in Buffalo Hut Coalition); Joey Parrish on bass (Silver Travis Band and former band mate with Buffalo Hut Coalition); guitarist Daniel Jackson (Silver Travis Band); Billy Eli (Texas singer/songwriter) Paul Hornsby (keyboards Hour Glass, many album appearances including Marshall Tucker Band); EG Kight (the Georgia Songbird!) and Hal Brandstetter. The album is in it's final stages, and I can hardly wait to release it!
As for live music. My personal appearances have very limited this past year, but gigs will soon be picking up. I have been rehearsing with singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Rick Keller, who, along with his wife, recently relocated here to Spartanburg, SC from Ohio. I'm looking forward to bringing our originals and cover tunes to Upstate SC venues very soon!
Look for more info on the Buffalo and his music at michaelbuffalo.net.
Thanks. Y'all keep on rockin.' Buff
Recording with Paul Hornsby
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