This news story originally provided by The Parthenon

March 9, 2005

American Minor

By Meagan Sellards

A local band has created a tribute to a devastating event that occurred in West Virginia 33 years ago.

American Minor, a band from Huntington that has been signed with Jive Records, wrote a song in honor of the Buffalo Creek Flood which took place in Man, W.Va.

The southern rock band is scheduled to perform its song "Buffalo Creek" and many others off their album in Huntington.

The Piston Coal Company Dam burst Feb. 26, 1972. The burst was caused by a crack in the dam and extra pressure from rain. More than 130 lives were lost and 2,000 people were left homeless.

It has been 33 years since the devastation occurred, and people still remember the tragedy.

Debbie Blankenship, a Logan County resident who witnessed the flood, said she was spending the night away from her house when a soldier in the West Virginia National Guard knocked on the door urging them to immediately vacate the area because a coal sludge dam was about to burst. Everything was chaotic and in the midst of the chaos, she saw the water, she said

"When I initially saw the water, it was like looking from the shore out onto the ocean," Blankenship said. "I could see the waves coming in fast, but this time it was different. These were black waves sweeping fiercely through the hollow of Buffalo Creek."

She said when she and her family saw the water, they immediately began to run toward higher ground.

"We ran to the hills as soon as we saw the water shooting through the valley," Blankenship said. "As we were running, water and debris hit me right below the knee. I still have a scar."

She said after the water went down, Buffalo Creek looked like a battlefield.

"It looked like a war zone with people covered in white sheets," Blankenship said. "The worst part happened after my mother came and got me from my aunts and we were walking back to our house. I saw a tree with debris wrapped around it. As I looked closer, I saw a body that was also wrapped around the tree. He was my old neighbor."

She said her house was not affected because they lived on a hill.

Robin Ellison, who is also a survivor of the Buffalo Creek Flood, said the Man area schools were used as morgues.

"We had to alternate schedules with Logan half a day," Ellison said. "We were bused to Logan so we could actually have school. We did this till the end of June."

Charlie Carroll, father of lead guitarist Bud Carroll, said American Minor is unique because of their songwriting.

"It is very unusual for a band to create a song about the Buffalo Creek mining disaster," he said. "They are also planning to record a song called 'One Last Supper' dealing with capital punishment."

Charlie Carroll said he likes American Minor's music because it has a southern rock feel and he is pleased with the final cut of his son's album.

"Green Day produced the album," he said. "Rob Snoff created the final mix. Snoff is high up in profile."

Charlie Carroll said he is surprised about how well the music video to "Buffalo Creek" turned out.

"The video was filmed in a meat packing plant in Los Angeles," he said. "It gives an underground, coal mining feel, which is very appropriate for the song."

Nick Booth, a resident of Buffalo Creek, said he has mixed emotions about the song.

"I think the song is okay for a younger audience who have learned about the flood through their parents or grandparents or really do not know anything about the disaster," he said. "I do not think the older audience would like it because of the rhythm and some of the lyrics may rekindle unwanted memories."

American Minor is scheduled to perform its music for a local audience at the Huntington Music Hall March 12.

For more information about American Minor visit www.americanminormusic.com.