Vernon Grope and Buffalo Lounge - A History

The Early Years

The Buffalo Lounge story began in the 1971 in North London. Originally known as Smiley Road, the fledgling studio was home to a group of itinerant musicians and poets known collectively as Broom Cupboard led by the legendary Vernon Grope.
It was here that the cult Bedroom Tapes were recorded. Many of the master tapes were lost or overwritten by Vernon's mum when she used them for one of the first answering machines.
Some of have survived like You've Got a Friend, but most like Tower of Burning Toothbrushes, have stood neither the test of time nor taste.

The Golden Earhole

Like many studios in the mid-70's, Smiley Road moved to the countryside and fell under the influence of the Spanish arriviste poet El Magnifico. It was the iberian rhymer who coined the new name of the studio - Buffalo Lounge.

This would prove to be the golden era, producing scores of new output. Most of it went to Vernon's mum but the jewels have remained and form the main part of the CD 30 Years of Buffalo Lounge.
Two of the stand-out tracks are by the now defunct Prism, a three piece formed out of the unseemly demise of Broom Cupboard. It was this unlikely combo that made Unplugged not only a watchword but in their case, desirable.

Into the new Millennium


Due to musical and geographical differences, the Buffalo Lounge artistes have met only rarely over the past decade.
However, the studio was host to respected actor Ron Edmunds who chose the facility to record his latest set of begging show tapes.
Latterly, new technology has arrived to herald a new era of recording challenges - often thwarted by Vernon's mum surfing the internet during takes.