Rhythm guitarist/vocalist David Price and drummer/vocalist Don Poncher were original members of The New Buffalo Springfield, formed in September 1968 by Dewey Martin, the drummer in the original Buffalo Springfield. David Price had previously played with Austin, Texas group, The Chelsea in the mid-1960s and, L.A-based Armadillo in mid-1968. Price was also Davy Jones's stand-in in The Monkees TV show thanks to his connections with his old friend Mike Nesmith. Don Poncher, who'd worked with Tex Williams when he was 16 years old, had also played with Brothers Keepers in the San Fernando Valley in the mid-1960s. The new version of the legendary group, which also included lead guitarist Gary Rowles, bass player Bob Apperson and horn playerJim Price, played extensively between November 1968 and February 1969 before imploding when Stephen Stills and Neil Young took legal action to prevent Martin from using the "Buffalo Springfield" name. In spring 1969, Dewey Martin and David Price formed a second version of New Buffalo Springfield with bass player/vocalist Randy Fuller and lead guitarist/vocalist Bob BJ Jones, who'd worked with Little Richard briefly. The new line up, now going by the name Blue Buffalo, recorded some tracks for Atlantic which were never completed and in June added second lead guitarist Joey Newman from L.A band, Touch. Newman had previously worked with Don & The Good Times, The Liberty Party and Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts. After a tour of the North West in July 1969, the musicians sacked Dewey Martin and returned to Los Angeles where they added Don Poncher from the earlier line up.
In August, the group adopted the name Blue Mountain Eagle, which the musicians had taken from a newspaper in Grant County, Oregon during their time with Dewey Martin. After Ahmet Ertegun personally signed them to Atlantic Records, the band recorded its lone album live in one session at Wally Heider's studios in Los Angeles in December 1969. The group toured extensively, opening for Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Love, Pink Floyd and many others. During April 1970, Randy Fuller left to briefly join Dewey Martin's Medicine Ball and the band recruited studio bassist David L. Johnson from the Beach Boys and Dr John's touring band. The following month, Atlantic released the group's eponymous lone album which only sold a few thousand copies. The group then recorded a version of Stephen Stills's "Marianne" as a single but when that failed to become a hit, the group disbanded around September 1970. Blue Mountain Eagle 1970 Tracks: 01. Love Is Here - 4:24 02. Yellow's Dream - 2:44 03. Feel Like A Bandit - 3:01 04. Troubles - 3:03 05. Loveless Lives - 3:30 06. No Regrets - 4:09 07. Winding Your String - 2:56 08. Sweet Mama - 4:18 09. Promise Of Love - 3:00 10. Trivial Sum - 3:11 Bonuses: 11. Marianne - 2:30 12. Marianne - 2:24 Personnel: - Joey Newman - lead guitar, keyboards, vocals - Bob "BJ" Jones - lead guitar, vocals - David Price - rhythm guitar, vocals - Randy Fuller - bass, guitar, vocals - Don Poncher - drums, vocals - David L. Johnson - bass, vocals - Bill Halverson - engineer, producer BJ Jones and Johnson went on to form Sweathog in 1971. Newman went on to Stepson and Poncher did numerous sessions.
