Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin were all involved in the folk scene, but opted to follow the Byrds example and become a rock 'n' roll band.
They remained an active outfit for just two years between 1967 and 1968 and had only one major hit single, "For What It's Worth", taken from their eponymous debut album. The track has often been covered due to it's lyrics of peaceful protest and social change, and is repeatedly sampled on modern pop songs. Their second album, 'Buffalo Springfield Again', found them expanding their sound into hard rock and psychedelia, with Young in particular writing a Rolling Stones-type rocker called 'Mr Soul'.
The group were blessed with three talented songwriters in Stills, Young, and Furay although this also led to conflicting egos, particularly between Stills and Young. There were several line-up changes, with Young leaving and then returning for small periods until their final demise in 1968.
Inevitably, Young was the first to pursue a solo career, but later reunited with Stills for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Stills also released the occasional solo album, and Jim Messina and Richie Furay stayed together to form Poco. Rumours of a Buffalo Springfield reunion have circulated for years, but with Young notorious for changing his mind repeatedly regarding which direction to take himself in as an artist, it has yet to materialise.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Neil Young, The Byrds, Stephen Stills, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Big Star, The Eagles, Jefferson Airplane, Gram Parsons.