Dewey Martin (musician)
The powerhouse drummer whose steady, driving beat anchored the seminal folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield during their brief, incendiary heyday.
1940–2009 (age 69)·American drummer·Birthday: September 30·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dewey Martin was the engine room of one of rock's most influential yet short-lived groups. A Canadian transplant with a background in country and rockabilly, he brought a solid, versatile backbeat to Buffalo Springfield, the Los Angeles band that became a crucible for 1960s folk-rock. While Stephen Stills and Neil Young traded guitar fireworks and wrote era-defining songs, Martin's drumming provided the essential glue, equally adept at the gentle roll of 'For What It's Worth' and the country-rock swing of 'Go and Say Goodbye.' His steady presence was vital for a band famously fraught with internal tensions. After the group's explosive two-year run and acrimonious split, Martin struggled to recapture that magic, leading various iterations of 'Buffalo Springfield Revisited' and playing in lesser-known bands. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with his former bandmates was a late recognition of his role in a group that, despite its brief life, permanently altered the sound of American rock music.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dewey was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dewey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Dewey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Died at 69
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.
- Played drums on all of Buffalo Springfield's studio recordings, including the classic protest anthem 'For What It's Worth'.
- Performed with the band at the famed Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, a landmark event in rock history.
- Prior to joining Buffalo Springfield, he was a touring drummer for rock and roll pioneer Fats Domino and country star Patsy Cline.
Did You Know?
He was born Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff but changed his name early in his music career.
Before music, he worked as a horse exerciser at a race track in Louisville, Kentucky.
He was briefly considered as a replacement for drummer Skip Spence in Jefferson Airplane in 1966.
In the late 1970s, he worked as a car mechanic in Los Angeles.
“You have to keep the beat, but you have to feel it, too.”
