Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield Drummer, Dead At Age 68

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Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield Drummer, Dead At Age 68
by Robert Benson - February 5, 2009

Buffalo Springfield (Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty)

It’s reported that drummer Dewey Martin (real name: Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff), who played drums with the 1960’s group, Buffalo Springfield, passed away on January 31 of unknown causes.

Dewey Martin was born on September 30, 1940 in Chesterville, Ontario. He started playing drums when he was about 13-years-old and his first band was a high school outfit called The Jive Rockets. He soon progressed and played with various dance and ‘rockabilly’ groups in the Ottawa Valley area, including Bernie Early & The Early Birds.

After leaving Canada in the early 1960s, Martin was in the US army for a short time before heading to Nashville. Over the next few years, Martin worked as a session drummer for many of country music's greatest artists, including Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, Faron Young and Roy Orbison among many others. In 1963, he travelled to Las Vegas with Faron Young's band and then relocated to Los Angeles, where he decided to stay.

While in Los Angeles in late 1965, Martin spent a few months with The Standells (“Dirty Water”) when drummer/singer Dick Dodd left. When Dodd returned in February 1966, Martin briefly joined The Modern Folk Quartet before touring and recording a demo with The Dillards. During late March/early April, Martin was working with The Dillards at the Ice House in Pasadena when Doug Dillard informed him that his services were no longer needed and he gave Martin a telephone number for a new group that needed a drummer. That band was Buffalo Springfield.

Dewey Martin became the last member to join the legendary group and apart from Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, he was the only musician to stay with the group from its inception in April 1966 until they broke up in May of 1968. During his time with the group, Martin also did session work for The Monkees.

While performing in concert, Martin sang covers of Wilson Pickett's “In The Midnight Hour,” and Richie Furay's "Nobody's Fool" and "Good Time Boy.” The latter song appeared on the band's second album, "Buffalo Springfield Again.” He also sang on Neil Young's rocker "Mr. Soul,” the introduction to Young's "Broken Arrow" (on the same album) and backing vocals on the band's biggest hit, "For What It's Worth.”

After the band broke up, Martin tried to carry on with new members and billed the band as the New Buffalo Springfield, but that only caused legal problems and he quit the music business to become an auto mechanic.

Martin resurfaced along with former Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer in the mid-1980s as part of Buffalo Springfield Revisited. Joined by new members, they performed Buffalo Springfield classics on the oldies circuit before finally calling it quits in the early 1990’s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Robert Benson
Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting." The ebook details why people collect records, where to find collectible vinyl records, album cover art, buying/selling issues, grading, storage, cleaning and much more.

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