Dewey Martin, the drummer for Buffalo Springfield, has died in California at the age of 68 from unknown causes. The band, which kick started the careers of Stephen Stills and Neil Young, of course, had its short heyday in the mid-sixties, breaking up in 1968.
A native of Canada, Martin was born in Chesterville, Ontario, and began drumming at the age of thirteen. He moved to Nashville in the early sixties following a brief stint in the US army, where he worked with a number of notable artists, including Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline and The Everley Brothers.
He subsequently moved to LA, and worked with bands like The Standells and The Dillards before joining Buffalo Springfield in 1966. Following the break up of the band, Martin attempted to revive another version of the group, dubbed New Buffalo Springfield, but Stills and Young took legal action over the use of the name, and Martin was forced to move on.
He retired from music in 1971, becoming a mechanic, though he returned to drumming in later years.
Rolling Stone report that Martin sang backup on the Buffalo Springfield hit 'For What It's Worth', and that he also gave Stephen Stills the LSD that allegedly inspired him to write the track.