The local music community is mourning the loss of harmonica hero Norton Buffalo, who died Oct. 30 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt and the Doobie Brothers are among those who will pay tribute to Buffalo during a Jan. 23 concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland (see www.apeconcerts.com for more information). The tribute is appropriate — the Oakland native added so much to other musicians' careers during his lifetime. Here are five notable artists that benefited from the Buffalo touch. — Jim Harrington

Steve Miller

Buffalo was a member of Miller's mega-popular band for 34 years. He can be heard on many of the vocalist-guitarist's best-loved records, including 1977's "Book of Dreams" (listen to the tracks "Winter Time" and "The Stake.")

Roy Rogers

The astounding slide-guitarist was one of Buffalo's most-frequent collaborators. Together, they toured the world and recorded some great tunes. The pair's 1991 duets CD, "R&B," contained the Grammy-nominated country instrumental "Song For Jessica."

Bette Midler

Midler's 1979 film "The Rose" featured Buffalo in a cameo role. He played one of Midler's band members, and even delivered a few lines of dialogue. The film was directed by Michael Cimino, who also cast Buffalo

The Doobie Brothers

Buffalo added his distinctive harmonica riffs on two tracks on the Doobies' eighth studio album, 1978's "Minute by Minute." The record hit No. 1 on the pop charts and scored a Grammy for its most popular single, "What a Fool Believes."

Jerry Garcia

"Captain Trips" knew a good song when he heard one — and he obviously loved the Buffalo tune "Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox." The Jerry Garcia Band added that tune to its regular concert rotation in 1991, and it remained there until Garcia's 1995 death.