Country-rock pioneers Poco continue to bear the torch of a proud tradition, and have been making music now for over forty years. Original members Jim Messina and Richie Furay will join Rusty Young (also a founding member), Paul Cotton, Jack Sundrud and George Lawrence on stage for the first time since 1989 with shows at STAGECOACH: California's Country Music Festival in Indio California April 26; as well as two recently added shows at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande on April 23 and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on April 25."Poco has an unmistakable place in American music history," says Young. "It's a legacy that runs through Buffalo Springfield, Loggins and Messina, Souther-Hillman-Furay, and the Eagles. And that legacy lives on today." Pioneers of the country-rock sound that soared out of California in the late sixties and early seventies, Poco was the inspiration for bands like The Eagles, Firefall, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Pure Prairie League, Little River Band and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, as well as the new breed of country-rock acts.
After Poco's debut album in 1968, Pickin' Up The Pieces, received a perfect rating from Rolling Stone Magazine, the band went through several personnel changes including the departure of Messina and Furay, as well as when bassist Randy Meisner left to join The Eagles. Poco went on to chart several times with hits like "Crazy Love" and "Heart of the Night" (both from the critically acclaimed Legend album), as well as "Rose of Cimarron," "Good Feeling To Know" and "You'd Better Think Twice." In 1989, the band brought back both Messina and Furay to record Legacy, which spawned a few more of the band's most popular songs to date, "Call It Love" and "Nothing To Hide."
Poco was enjoyable, but the band that really put on a very professional show at the Palomina Stage was Pure Prairie League, with Craig Fuller and Mike Reilly leading the way. Those two between tham appeared on evry PPL release, including their latest, All In Good Time, which is merely fantastic ! PPL relied on their music to carry them, not merely memories of ghosts past.Founder Craig Fuller started the band around 1968 and it was incredible to see him perform with the same zest he had 40 years ago. He's still got the magnificent vocals to go along with some terrific pickin' ! A truly talented songwriter, his work on their last release, All In Good Time, is just another indication of how strong PPL continues to be 40 years later.
ReplyDeletePPL's country rock legacy is as strong , probably stronger, than anyone who was in the game.And shows like they put on at the Palomina exemplified this. They are not out there for nostalgia, they're out there bringing country rock to us like it was still the 70's. No one did it better then and certainly no one does it better now.
All the best to PPL, may they continue to bring us much more of the same !
Robert Lambert