About Michael Buffalo Smith - Greenville, SC

Michael received his very first guitar at the age of seven, a toy Roy Rogers model. Apparently, Smith was less than interested at the time, since the instrument was left outside, leaning against a tall pine tree, and exposed to rain, sleet and snow for about a month. When Michael finally remembered the guitar, it was nothing more than a pile of warped wood and plastic.

While attending college in Spartanburg, Michael ran across a guitar playing cat named Gregg Yeary, and the two started getting together to learn covers of everything from Johnny Rivers to The Cars, from The Stray Cats to Bruce Springsteen. The two also began to write together. Soon, Gregg met David Haddox, a legendary drummer who had been the teacher to a 15 year old red-headed wonder named Paul T. Riddle, who would go on to fame and fortune with The Marshall Tucker Band. David was also touring drummer with "The Killer," Jerry Lee Lewis. Pulling Michael's old friend Joey Parrish into the mix, the band set out to play their first gig, at an amphitheater in Pacolet Mills, S.C. Because they were playing both hard country and mainstream rock, the band decided to open for themselves, as the country band, Desperado. Later they would play the rock and roll show as Standard Deviation. About two months later, as the band took on a new bass player and solidified, they changed their name to The Buffalo Hut Coalition.

The BHC played everywhere, from clubs to festivals and private parties, and went through a series of bass players, while Smith, Yeary and Haddox held together.

In years to come, there would be several other bands in Michael B's future, including The Rockland Tramps and Frontline (both of which featured future country starlett Vikki McMillan) , a regrouping of The Buffalo Hut, and Michael B. & The Stingers. Smith also performed as a duet in several configurations, including parings with guitarist Michael Merck, singer Donna Orzonno, bassist Joey Parrish, guitarist David Windhorst and guitarist Travis Brown. Smith also appeared solo in the singer-songwriter mode.

Michael Buffalo released a cassette only ep called "Fairytales" in 1992 with Donna Orzonno and in 1997 released a full length cd of original songs called "Happy To Be Here" on the Dreaming Buffalo label, with his old Buffalo Hut bandmates and a guest shot from Toy Caldwell Band drummer Mark Burrell.

In December 2000, Smith released "Midwest Carolina Blues," a nine-song cd of classic blues and rockabilly on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Blues imprint. The cd was dedicated to the memory of Nebraska's original rocker, Bobby Lowell, who died of cancer in October, 2000. An all-star cast from Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska backed Michael on the album, as well as Bob Timmers, curator of The Rockabilly Hall of Fame, on guitar. Dave Robel, Bob Timmers, Pinky Semrad, Bobby Lowell, Buffalo, Sean Benjamin.

After dual surgeries and an extended hospital stay to battle a life-threatening bacterial infection during the summer of '98, and into '99, Smith announced in April that he was again healthy enough to return to the stage, playing festivals, clubs and coffee houses all around the country, sharing the stage with folks like The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Bonnie Bramlett, Molly Hatchet, Paul Thorn, Southern Rock Allstars, Jerry LaCroix, Tommy Talton, Tommy Crain & The Crosstown Allstars, George McCorkle, The Crawlers, John Wyker, Jimmy Hall, Stephen Foster, True Blues, Hulk and Brooke Hogan, Montgomery Gentry, and more.

In July 2002, Smith recorded a new album called "Southern Lights" with friends in Huntsville, Alabama at Mill Kids/Howler Studio. The album was co-produced by Stephen Foster, Billy Teichmiller and Michael B. Smith. Sitting in on the album were friends Bonnie Bramlett (Delaney & Bonnie); Tommy Crain (Charlie Daniels Band); Pete Carr (Hourglass; also studio session genius on records by Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, and many more); Johnny Wyker (Sailcat); The Crawlers; Stephen Foster; Hays Clark; and a cast of thousands.

Returning home from the session, Michael suffered a second onset of bacterial infection that landed him back in the hospital for a month, more surgeries, more miracles, and he was back out and performing again, returning to the stage with The Crawlers to open for Marshall Tucker and Steppenwolf in Muscle Shoals.

Beginning in late 2004, Buffalo returned to Mill Kids Studios to begin recording a new album called SOMETHING HEAVY, released in January 2006. The record was produced by Billy Teichmiller and Ray Brand with Buffalo. The album features The Crawlers, Danny Hall, John Wyker and Pete "Guitar" Carr, as well as George McCorkle (MTB), Jo Jo Billingsley (Skynyrd), Rodeo Jan Rocket and Larry Perkins. Sadly, just months after the recording, Crawlers guitarist and co-producer Ray Brand passed away from cancer. Ray had co-written several of the tracks with Buffalo, and was a close, dear friend. He will never ever be forgotten

Buffalo holds a degree in Theatrical Arts, and has acted in many stage plays including Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST and FOOL FOR LOVE, as well as in TV commercials and film extra parts.

Michael is the founder/voice of GRITZ, The Magazine of Southern Rock(www.gritz.net), a part of SWAMPLAND.COM, and a free lance writer and author. He has two books published -"Carolina Dreams: The Musical Legacy of Upstate South Carolina" (Marshall Tucker Entertainment) and "Outlaws, Rebels and Renegades" (Lulu.com). And has been a regular contributor to magazines such as Goldmine, All Music Guide, Mojo, Bands of Dixie, Hittin the Note, Relix, and Sandlapper.

Discography

Something Heavy (Mill Kids Music) 2005
Southern Lights (Dreaming Buffalo) 2002
Midwest Carolina Blues (Rockabilly Hall of Fame) 2000
Happy To Be Here (Dreaming Buffalo) 1997
Fairytales (Act III) 1993

APPEARS ON

The Next Adventure Marshall Tucker Band 2007
Stone Ground & Southern Fried Rhythm Pigs 2003

COMPILATIONS

Oasis Sampler (Oasis) 2002
Well Done (Crystal Rain) 1995
Hoe Cake Hour (X Records) 1992

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