An extremely rare, original antique cast iron plaque taken from the side of a Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company steamroller, the inspiration for one of rock & roll’s greatest bands, Buffalo Springfield! Like the plaque that Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Van Dyke Parks spotted one afternoon, these very rare plaques cannot be found anymore. The Buffalo-Springfield plaque gave the band its name and also inspired the cover to their 2001 boxed set, a career retrospective. The true legend of Buffalo Springfield begins in 1966 with Neil Young and Bruce Palmer departing Toronto in Neil's black hearse and heading for Los Angeles in search of Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. Young knew Stills had left New York for Los Angeles but was having no luck finding him, until that mystical moment on Sunset Boulevard, when Stills spotted a 1953 Pontiac hearse with Ontario plates, heading in the opposite direction. With a honk, a wave, a quick u-turn, a lot of shouting and cheering, they finally met up with each other. Soon after they decided it would be a great idea to start a new group and thus they ended up at Barry Friedman’s house, where Furay and Stills were already staying (Friedman became the band’s first manager). Young, Stills and Van Dyke Parks went out for a walk and saw a Buffalo-Springfield Co. steamroller parked right outside Barry's house. Later, while playing together, they began to talk about a name for the band. They went over and pulled down the “Buffalo Springfield” plaque off the steamroller, and Young is quoted as saying, “Great man, a steamroller. You got heavy sound, go for it.” Soon after, Buffalo Springfield’s first performance took place on April 11, 1966 at the Whiskey A Go Go, opening up for the Byrds. This original cast iron plaque, taken from the side of a steamroller made by the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company, measures 19 x 15 and has the original patina, with two layers of yellow, black and some rust. Accompanied by an 18 x 12 photograph of the band. Comes with a Gotta Have Rock & Roll Certicate of Authenticity.
