BANDS OF DIXIE Magazine France Issue #91 March/April 2013 English Translation

MICHAEL BUFFALO SMITH: SOUTH by Dominique Turgot

He has been called by Charlie Damiels “The Ambassador of South - ern Rock.” Musician, journalist, webmaster, and author Michael Buffalo Smith has a brand new book out. The memoir is called “Prisoner of Soutrhern Rock,” and it tells his life story and gives us the scoop on his life backstage and onstage with the greats of South - ern Rock. While reading your book, I discovered you had health problems. I hope these are long gone and that you're now back in good shape. Can you tell when and why you decided to write about your life? Well thank you. The past ten years have been quite a challenge, for sure. But I believe it is all leveling out now, finally. I felt a need to share some of the stories about meeting and getting to know so many of the musicians whom I had looked up to as “heroes” back in my high school days in the ’70’s.

You mix chapters re - garding your life and chap - ters about each group you've been a fan of and you've been in contact with. Why did you mix these two topics? Why not a book about and one about your life? Because my life and Southern rock became the same thing some - where along the line. When first called me “The Ambassador of Southern Rock,” and I was living and breathing the music and publishing Gritz Magazine it became very clear to me that my life path had always crossed over into music. Always.

How long did you need to write this book? I started making notes as far back as 1998. That first hospitaliza - tion. I wrote it all down so I would never forget. That also happened to be the same time I started Gritz as a web zine. But I really started pulling the stories together about five years ago.

I've been surprised with all the details you integrate in this book. How did you remember all these details? Did you have a notepad somewhere? (Laughing) Many, many note pads. Also, I had written reviews of so many events, it helped me to recall those moments in time. I have always been a detail oriented kind of writer.

Did you write chapters you've not included in this book? Not chapters, really, but I do have more stories. I am already work - ing on a sequel. It will be less about my life, and more about my southern rock experiences. I am also writing a history of Southern Rock that I hope will be published next year.

Was it difficult to find an editor? Tell us about the process. I was going to pitch the idea to some larger publishing houses, but when I saw what Mercer University Press had done with ( Between Rock and a Home Place ); Willie Perkins ( No Saints, No Saviors ); and most recently ( A Never Ending Groove ), and the fact that they are located in Macon, Geor - gia, where it all began, I really hoped they would be my publisher. They have been great.

Is the book sold worldwide? It is. It can be ordered from Amazon in various countries, from Eu - rope to Japan. We have sold well in Germany and in France.

Do you know if your editor is planning on having transla - tions of your book? No, the University presses are too small and privately funded to do international translations. Same with audio books. It would just cost too much.

I knew you were "addicted" to southern rock but didn't know you love bands such as Kiss. Tell us about the non- southern rock bands you like, and why. Music is my life. Back in high school, 1972-76, a lot of my musical tastes were shaped. Many of the bands from that era still hold a spe - cial place in my heart. At the same time I was learning about The Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker, I was also getting into Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, and KISS. I loved the whole theatrical aspect of some of these bands. I was and am a big fan of David Bowie. Some of the other music I love includes Kate Bush, Meat Loaf, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, country like Merle Hag - gard, Johnny Cash, ... I love everything from Otis Red - ding to Jimi Hendrix, from The Carpenters to Kelly Clarkson.

For our French readers who can’t read your book. Can you tell us about the birth and the ending of Gritz? I started Gritz in 1998 after spending 48 days in the hospital. I was - n’t able to work, so I would go online and build this website about Southern Rock. At first it was called “Hot Grits.” After a year Ichanged it to “Gritz” and we started to get a huge worldwide fol - lowing. At the time there were no other sites about Southern Rock. Of course, immitators started popping up all over, but we were the original. If you did search for “Southern Rock,” you would fine two things - Gritz and Bands of Dixie. Then in 2002, I teamed with an investor and started the print magazine version of Gritz. It lasted for almost three years. We had eleven issues and we were printing 25,000 copies. We had two distributors, so it was in all the major bookstores. It was sold in thee Hall of Fame gift shop, at the Hall of Fame in Nashville, and all over. We sold subscriptions. We had about 5,000 subscribers, many of whom were in Europe. I was really proud of it. But paper costs were way up and it cost a fortune, so we went back to the internet. Then in 2007, a guy from Florida bought the name and made Gritz a part of Swampland, with me as editor for three years. At the end of the three years, it had lost too much money and my contract was not re - newed. There was a little bad blood, but all’s well that ends well. I started Universal Music Tribe online, along with my weekly radio show, and in 2012 launched the digital magazine called Kudzoo. It’s all Southern. Southern rock, food, places to visit, reviews, and the great thing is that it is absolutely free! Folks can read it online or download it to their desktop. It is much cheaper to produce than a print magazine, and we are having great fun with it.,

You've been working on the web for a few years. Do you think this is the only media that can survive in the indus - try? I love print. Love it. But it is phasing out. With iPads, smart phones, Nooks. Kindles, etc, everything is going electronic. I believe there will always be magazines, at least for now, but only mass market ti - tles like Rolling Stone.

Do you run this company using advertising? If not, tell us how this company gets its money? Money? What money? (laughs) It is totally advertising based. Right now I am trying to hire a couple of sales people because I just can’t “do it all” any longer. We have a great magazine with Kudzoo and a nice place for people to advertise inexpensively.

Is working on the internet an expensive media? You've got to invest in hardware and have expert webmasters? Well, the equipment is a big cost up front, but then it levels out. And as far as our magazine goes, I do all the layout, web master stuff, everything. If I were getting paid on an hourly basis I would be rich. (Laughs)

I've read you had a few books you've been working on. Tell us about them? I just self-published my second collection of Southern Rock inter - views, Outlaws, Rebels & Renegades II . Like the first one, it is available only through www.lulu.com. It’s another big 500-page book with lots of never before published photos. I am also working on a book of non-southern rock interviews called Hippies, Heretics & Rockabilly Rebels . Interviews with rockers from the 50s, 60’s and 70’s- from to Paul Rogers, Gene Simmons, Peter Frampton, Alvin Lee, etc. My next book for Mercer University Press is an oral history of Southern Rock called Rebel Yell. The stars themselves tell the story of the genre via my interviews.

You've written "Carolina dreams", a book about Marshall Tucker Band. If you were asked to write about the biogra - phy of a major southern rock band, which one(s) would you like to write about? I could write one about fairly easily, but there are already a lot of books on them. I’d love to write about The Outlaws. Love The Allmans, but that’s been done already. Any of the bands that recorded for I could get behind.

You've had many many people interviewed. Is there some - one you never been able to have for an interview but would like to? I think I have met or interviewed everybody in Southern rock. In other music, I’d dearly love to interview Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, David Bowie or Alice Cooper.

Let's talk about music now. It's been a while since you re - leased your last album. Are you working on an other one? Always. I have tons of new songs. I have two albums I’d like to do. One acoustic and one electric. I hope to record again this year. I am hoping to work with Paul Hornsby as my producer, and have a few famous friends sit in.

Aren’t you also working on someone else's project? There’s a great artist from Texas named Billy Eli. He and I are put - ting together an album as a tribute to , with various bands performing Toy’s songs, including The Outlaws, , Charlie Daniels. We are just getting started on this one.

You've been writing for other people. Who did you write songs for ? I have a guy in Nashville named Joe Meador who is pitching my songs. I have one I co-wrote with Lee Bogan that is perfect for Van Zant or Mongomerty Gentry. Silver Travis is doing a couple of my songs on their new album as well.

How were the sales of your different albums? I have done five. The first two were pretty much local. “Midwest Carolina ” was on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame label, and sold pretty well. But the two most recent releases did really well world wide, “Southern Lights” and “Something Heavy.”

How many gigs a year are you performing? The past 2-3 years have been rough. I have had lots of illness, plus death in the family and divorce. So I have not been onstage over four times in a year. That’s all about to change.

Which were the greatest moments on stage? And the worst ones? I have been blessed with some really special onstage experiences. Singing with in front of thousands of rowdy rockers was a blast; playing with in Las Vegas at this huge out door festival was a ; singing and playing with Bonnie Bramlett, Tommy Crain and Pete Carr all at the same time; some of my happiest memories are the many shows I did with The Southern Rock Allstars, jamming with Jakson Spires, Charles Hart, Jay Johnson, Dave Hlubek and . So many great experiences! Worst stage experiences? I don’t think any stage expe - rience is bad. Even if you break a string, you are still ON STAGE!

If you could have anyone you wanted on your next album, who would you like to collaborate with? I have been able to work with most of my heroes already, but I’d like to have Charlie Daniels on there. Henry Paul. Of course, I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, so that would be pretty awesome too.

And who would you like to have in a band on stage with you? Oh, this is fun. on guitar, guitar, John Galvin organ, Chuck Leavell on piano, Bonnie and Bekka Bramlett on backing vocals, Tim Lindsey on bass, drums, Edgar Winter on sax.

What do you think is the future of the southern ? "Old bands," such as Skynyrd and Hatchet, make a music different from the original bands; the Allman, Mar - shall Tucker and the Outlaws seem to be close to their original music. There are great new bands but do you see a band able to carry on the torch? Well, there are a few bands that really have the same feel and soul of the original southern rock bands. Certainly Swampdawamp is awesome. Blackberry Smoke I love. Preacher Stone from North Car - olina is a great band, as are Pinetop Lightning from South Carolina. I really love Thomas Wynn & The Believers from Florida. Brother and sister Thomas and Olivia Wynn are the children of Tom Wynn, the original drummer for the band Cowboy, and their music has that same country folk element of southern rock that Cowboy had. There are some really good southern rock bands out there these days.

Do you only listen to old southern rock music, or do you listen to new bands? Oh no, as a matter of fact, I don’t listen to the old stuff nearly as often nowadays. I am always on the lookout for great new bands. Honestly, there have been some amazing releases coming out this past year. I highly recommend the new album, and Devon Allman’s solo CD “Turquoise.” Billy Crain’s “Creole Shows” and the outrageously good “It’s About Pride” from The Outlaws.

You certainly heard about the Blackfoot affair. What do you think of this band, with no original members, man - aged by Medlocke? To me, it's complete nonsense but what is your point of view? Well, I must agree with you. On the Rock Legends Cruise in Janu - ary I saw Greg T. Walker and Charlie Hargrett with Mike Estes and they were calling it “Fired Guns,” but it was pretty damned close to being Blackfoot. Attatching the legendary name to a whole new group of guys, especially kids, had me scratching my head. That is like someone hiring six 20-year olds and calling them Lynyrd Skynyrd. What? I see absolutely no sense in it.

What’s the best way to find your books and CDs online? I have this new one page website at www.michaelbuffalo.net . It has the latest news, and a page of links to every record, every book, all of my projects. Thank you so much for doing this interview. I have