Pike County Times
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More photos below this article.
 
History of Southern Rock Through the Voice of Michael Buffalo Smith
By Editor Becky Watts

ZEBULON - The J. Joel Edwards Public Library proudly presented Michael Buffalo Smith, the Ambassador of Southern Rock, on Thursday, June 28. Buffalo Smith provided an entertaining tribute to the great musicians of southern rock, complete with a Q&A and a book signing.

Buffalo told how it all began in his high school years with a great DJ voice (so that people couldn't tell that he hadn't graduated yet) and his early beginning in rock interviews on radio. His love of rock led to a career in interviews and music of his own as well. Elvis and Johnny Cash were big influences on his music. Buffalo has a new album out entitled, "Makin' It Back to Macon."

He told the crowd that he is doing what he does out of love. "I might not be rich, but I'm rich in certain ways," he said. Buffalo even told of a medical crisis in his life when he spent 48 days in the hospital battling flesh eating disease. He gave praise God to his survival.

Buffalo played some music for the audience and answered questions. He answered the question of a child in the audience on how he got the name Buffalo, talked a little about splinter rock bands, and told about his religious roots. His Daddy was a part-time preacher, and he used to lead the music at his church.

Probably the coolest part of the night was watching the kid with a mohawk in the front row nodding his head to the music as it played.

All in all, it was a laid back evening with a down to earth writer and musician who shared just a little bit of a wealth of southern rock history and told of his love for southern rock and roll. Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels, the Marshall Tucker Band, and many more artists and bands have been interviewed by Buffalo over the years. His books include From Macon to Jacksonville: More Conversations in Southern Rock (Mercer University Press, 2018), Capricorn Rising: Conversations in Southern Rock (Mercer University Press, 2016), My Kind of Country: Conversations with Cowboys, Gamblers, Outlaws & Songwriters (Lulu, 2016), Rebel Yell: An Oral History of Southern Rock (Mercer University Press, 2015), Prisoner of Southern Rock: A Memoir (Mercer University Press), First Kiss: My 40 Year Obsession with the Hottest Band in the World (Lulu) (Book Baby E-Book), The Brown Box: Remembering Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Lulu), and Carolina Dreams: The Musical Legacy of Upstate South Carolina (Marshall Tucker Entertainment).

All this and more can be found on his website, www.michaelbuffalo.net/michael_buffalo_smith.

You can check him out at www.michaelbuffalo.net/kudzoo_magazine. Blackberry Smoke will be featured in the next magazine.

7.7.18
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Librarian Rosemary Bunn showing up one of Buffalo's books.

Buffalo talking to the crowd.
 
J. Joel Edwards Public Library proudly presents Michael Buffalo Smith
the Ambassador of Southern Rock - Thursday, June 28th

ZEBULON - The J. Joel Edwards Public Library proudly presents Michael Buffalo Smith, the Ambassador of Southern Rock, on Thursday, June 28, at 6:00. Smith will provide an entertaining tribute to the great musicians of southern rock, complete with a Q&A and a book signing.

Smith, an author, journalist, and musician, was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina during the Southern Rock era, when his hometown heroes, The Marshall Tucker Band, became one of the biggest bands on the Capricorn Records label. He has written three novels about the movers and shakers in rock and country music: Rebel Yell: An Oral History of Southern Rock; Prisoner of Southern Rock: A Memoir; and Capricorn Rising: Conversations in Southern Rock. All three titles, publications of Mercer University Press, will be available for purchase at the event.

Capricorn Rising: Conversations in Southern Rock (2016) is a collection of interviews with many of the stars, producers, and associates of the 1970s Southern record label, Capricorn, which was founded in the heart of Macon in 1969. Smith collects word for word, complete interviews with Capricorn artists including Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, George McCorkle, and many others, providing a glimpse into the early 70s when Southern Rock was born in Macon.

Praise for Capricorn Rising has been unanimous. Charlie Daniels and Billy Bob Thornton, two of Smith’s many admirers, offer up their reflections on his latest tome:

“If anybody has been the scribe for the history and growth of the music known as Southern Rock, it's been Michael Buffalo Smith. Smith’s new book, Capricorn Rising gets to the heart of the matter with one-on-one conversations with the artists who have made this music part of American culture.” —Charlie Daniels, 2016 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“Phil Walden and Frank Fenter gave all of us Southern kids who dreamed of having our own place in music a label full of artists who spoke to us, those of us who were raised in the land where Rock and Roll was born finally had OUR bands. Who better to write about it than Michael Buffalo Smith, a man who lives, breathes, and respects that music and those times.” —Billy Bob Thornton, Oscar® and Golden Globe Awards® winning actor, director, writer, and musician.

This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information about the summer reading programs, visit the J. Joel Edwards Public Library during regular business hours: MWF 10-5, TTh 10-7, and Sat. 10-3.

Says library assistant Kimberly Sowell, “Bring the whole neighborhood, and ‘take the highway’ to the library this Thursday night.”

Submitted 6.21.18
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