Poco (band)
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Poco is an American country rock band originally formed by Richie Furay and Jim Messina following the demise of the Buffalo Springfield in 1968. Their title of their first album, "Pickin up the Pieces" refers to the break up of the Springfield and is the only debut album to ever receive a perfect review rating from Rolling Stone Magazine. A favorite of AOR FM staions in the early 70's, Poco was considered to be a highly innovative and pioneering band. Although the band charted a handful of Top 20 hits, overall their Top 40 success was somewhat uneven. Throughout the years Poco has reformed in various groupings, with the latest version still active today. With 24 original albums and 26 "Best of" and anthology collections, the band boasts a catalog of 50 releases.
Beginnings
During recording of the last Buffalo Springfield album, each of the three lead singers (Stephen Stills, Neil Young and Richie Furay) recorded songs without the other two. One of Furay's solo songs was the country-influenced ballad "Kind Woman", which he recorded with the help of producer/engineer/bassist Jim Messina and pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young.[1] When Buffalo Springfield then split up, Furay, Messina and Young decided to start their own group oriented toward such songs.
The original lineup was Furay (vocals, rhythm guitar), Messina (lead guitar, vocals, producer), Young (pedal steel guitar, banjo, dobro, guitar, and vocals), George Grantham (drums and vocals) and Randy Meisner (bass and vocals). The group was signed to a recording contract with Epic Records, which acquired the rights to Furay and Messina from Atlantic Records (the Springfield's label) in return for the rights to David Crosby from the Byrds and Graham Nash from the Hollies (who were moving to Atlantic as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash).[1] Originally, the new group was named "Pogo", but it had to change its name when cartoonist Walt Kelly objected to their use of the name. "Poco" is a musicical term meaning "little or diminish."
Their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969) is considered to be the best and most important album of a new musical genre that united country with rock music.[2] However, the album was not a commercial success, falling short of the top 50 on the Billboard album charts.
Prior to its release, Meisner left the group as a result of conflict with Furay and Messina over the group's direction. After a stint playing with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, he later became a founding member of The Eagles. Timothy B. Schmit subsequently replaced Meisner on both bass and vocals.
"Movin' A Right Along"
The studio album Poco (1970) and the live album Deliverin' (1971) followed. Guided by the vision of Furay and Messina, these became touchstones of country rock music making Poco the yard stick by which all country rock bands are measured. Poco's unique blending of the Bakersfield sound with energetic rock translated well to live performances, and the band developed a loyal following on the road. Each album produced a moderate hit, Messina's "You Better Think Twice" and Furay's "C'mon". Critical acclaim did not yield commercial success, however, and even though Deliverin' became Poco's first album to reach the top 30 on the Billboard album charts (peaking at #26), Messina, more accustomed to studio life, chose to leave the band. He became a studio producer for Columbia Records, and, eventually, half of Loggins and Messina. At the suggestion of Peter Cetera of Chicago, Paul Cotton, guitarist and vocalist from The Illinois Speed Press, replaced Messina.
The realigned Poco, now working on its third lineup on just its fourth album, hired Steve Cropper as producer and released From The Inside (1971), featuring Cotton's "Bad Weather", which became a signature song for the band. The band then hired upcoming star producer Jack Richardson, who oversaw the next three albums, beginning with A Good Feelin’ To Know (1972). Although the Furay title track became the most recognizable Poco song of their early years, it completely failed to chart despite more critical acclaim. As a result, Furay became increasingly discouraged with Poco's prospects, especially since ex-bandmates Meisner and Messina were so successful with their new acts. The next album, Crazy Eyes (1973), was another strong effort that ultimately proved to be Furay's last as a member of the group. The title track was a Furay song written about fellow country-rock pioneer and close friend Gram Parsons of Flying Burrito Brothers fame, who had died of a drug overdose at the Joshua Tree Inn just prior to the recording of the album; Furay also sang Parsons' song "Brass Buttons".
At the urging of Asylum Records president and former Poco Manager David Geffen, Furay then left Poco and joined with J. D. Souther and Chris Hillman to create the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band on Asylum. Poco decided not to replace Furay and continued as a quartet.
Famous road crew members during the 1970s included Steven DePaul and Jimmy Collins as guitar technicians and Ronald Perfitt as the road manager. Steven DePaul would later go on to become the Associate Producer for NYPD Blue and Director of shows such as The Unit, K-Ville and C.S.I. New York. Jimmy Collins would later go on to manage the band Boston.
Changes
Furay's departure provided an opportunity for Rusty Young. Previously known largely for his multi-instrumental talents, especially on pedal steel guitar, Young stepped up to become one of the band's primary songwriters and singers on subsequent albums. Seven (1974) and Cantamos (1974), their last two albums for Epic Records, established the group as a strong quartet without Furay. They moved to ABC Records, although Epic still had the rights to a live album Live (1976). With the ocassional addition of Al Garth, Head Over Heels (1975), Rose Of Cimarron (1976), and Indian Summer (1977) found the group augmenting their country rock sound with a more mainstream approach. Head Over Heels featured Schmit's acoustic "Keep On Tryin'", which became an AOR favorite and the group's most successful single to date. With Rose Of Cimarron, Young and Cotton began to write the lion's share of the group's songs as the band continued to seek larger commercial success. However, Rose of Cimarron's sales were hurt by the competition with Live, and Indian Summer received little promotion in part due to the poor sales of Rose. The band recorded a new live album in a second attempt to break through with the Indian Summer songs, with a guest appearance by Furay, but the album's release was postponed by ABC. (The album was eventually released as The Last Roundup in 2004.)
At that point, Schmit quit to join the Eagles, coincidentally replacing former Poco member Meisner yet again, and Young and Cotton decided to dump the "Poco" name and become the Cotton-Young Band, without Grantham. Undaunted, Young and Cotton redoubled their efforts, selecting Britons Steve Chapman (drums) and Charlie Harrison (bass) to round out their new quartet -- which then changed its name back to Poco at ABC's request. Thus, Grantham ended up out of Poco without ever choosing to leave. Legend (1978), with cover art by comedian Phil Hartman, subsequently became the group's most commercially successful album, yielding a gold album and two Top Twenty hits, Young's "Crazy Love" (which also had a seven-week run at Number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1979, the biggest hit on the AC chart that year) and Cotton's "Heart of the Night". Kim Bullard (keyboards) joined the band later that same year. While 'Crazy Love' was riding up the charts, ABC Records was sold to MCA Records. Poco was retained by MCA and the Legend album was reissued on the MCA label. This quintet released four more albums: Under The Gun (1980), Blue And Gray (1981), Cowboys & Englishmen (1982) and (moving over to Atlantic Records) Ghost Town (1982). Without Harrison, the remaining members of Poco released Inamorata (1984). Despite creating music that often lived up to the quality of the band's earlier efforts, this lineup ultimately failed to sustain the success achieved by "Legend." In the wake of changing musical tastes and a fickle marketplace in the early 1980s, Poco increasingly faded from the forefront of the popular music scene.
After Poco
Furay, Schmit, and Grantham had, since their departures, each appeared at various times with Poco. Inamorata included contributions by all three former members, but the album did not result in a lasting reunion, in part due to its lack of success.
After a lengthy recording hiatus, at the urging of Richard Marx, Poco re-emerged with the successful Legacy (1989), reuniting original members Young, Furay, Messina, Grantham, and Meisner twenty years after Poco's debut. The album featured two top forty hits, 'Call it Love' and 'Nothing to Hide', and earned a gold album. Just like the early days, though, internal conflict disrupted the continuing success of this lineup, and it splintered and then disbanded in 1991.
Although Young and Cotton continued to tour with a variety of members as Poco in subsequent years, Running Horse (2002) returned the band to the studio for the first time in thirteen years. The lineup consisted of Young, Cotton, Grantham, and Jack Sundrud (bass and vocals), who had toured with the band intermittently since the 1980s. Furay reunited with this lineup for one show in Nashville in May 2004, resulting in the spirited CD/DVD release Keeping The Legend Alive (2004). Later that year Grantham tragically suffered a stroke during a live performance. His recovery has been slow and expensive, and the group has created a donor fund on its official website, Poconut.com, to offset some of his considerable medical expenses. The site offers a variety of ways of donating money.
Every label Poco has appeared on and several independent labels have released numerous "Best of", re-releases and anthology collections. Offering new and old Poco fans plentiful opportunties to enjoy new and old versions of their music.
The Present
Poco is still writing and recording a substantial volume of music, touring festivals and top rock venues in the United States, Canada and Europe, and doing solo projects. Young, Cotton, Sundrud, and veteran drummer George Lawrence comprise the current lineup. Bareback At Big Sky (2005) and The Wildwood Sessions (2006) are Poco's most recent original releases, capturing live acoustic versions of songs both new and familiar from their almost forty-year career. The current lineup of Poco was reunited with Richie Furay for a concert at the Wildwood Lodge in Steelville, Missouri, in May, 2007.
Discography
- 1969 Pickin' Up the Pieces
- 1970 Poco
- 1971 Deliverin'
- 1971 From The Inside
- 1972 A Good Feelin’ To Know
- 1973 Crazy Eyes
- 1974 Seven
- 1974 Cantamos
- 1975 Head Over Heels
- 1976 Live
- 1976 Rose Of Cimarron
- 1977 Indian Summer
- 1978 Legend
- 1980 Under The Gun
- 1981 Blue And Gray
- 1982 Cowboys & Englishmen
- 1982 Ghost Town
- 1984 Inamorata
- 1989 Legacy
- 2002 Running Horse
- 2004 The Last Roundup (recorded 1977)
- 2004 Keeping The Legend Alive
- 2005 Bareback At Big Sky
- 2006 The Wildwood Sessions
Best Of Collections/Re-releases
- 1975 The Very Best of Poco
- 1979 Poco: The Songs of Paul Cotton
- 1980 Poco: The Songs of Richie Furay
- 1980 The Best Of
- 1982 Backtracks
- 1989 Crazy Loving: The Best of Poco 1975-1982
- 1990 Retrospective
- 1990 The Forgotten Trail (1969-74)
- 1995 Ghost Town/Inamorata
- 1996 On The Country Side
- 1997 The Essential Collection (1975-1982)
- 1998 The Ultimate Collection 69-89
- 1999 The Very Best Of Poco
- 2000 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Poco
- 2001 Take Two
- 2002 The Very Best Of Poco
- 2002 From The Inside/A Good Feelin’ To Know
- 2004 Pickin' Up the Pieces/Poco
- 2005 Alive in the Heart of the Night
- 2006 Keep on Tryin
- 2006 Poco Live
- 2005 The Essential Poco
- 2006 Gold
- 2006 Best Of Poco Live
- 2006 Seven/Cantamos
- 2007 Standing Room Only Live
Band members
Line-ups
| 1968-1969 |
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| 1969-1971 |
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| 1971-1973 |
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| 1973-1977 |
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| 1978-1979 |
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| 1979-1983 |
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| 1983-1984 |
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| 1985-1988 |
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| 1989-1991 |
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| 1991-2001 |
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| 2001-2004 |
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| 2004-present |
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Notes
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. 'Poco'; All Music Guide.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. Pickin' Up the Pieces review, All Music Guide.