From my friend Dan Durcholz:
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2009
POCO REUNION AT STAGECOACH HAS INDUSTRY BUZZING
Young, Furay, Messina, Schmitt, Cotton and Grantham Dazzle in CA
“What an extraordinary collection of Southern California music history backstage following Poco’s reunion performance tonight.”—Randy Lewis, LA Times
Nashville, TN—To say that country rock pioneers Poco are a footnote to a host of other musical acts would be like saying The Beatles are a footnote to Wings. After a stunning reunion two weekends ago at STAGECOACH, there are rumblings in the music industry that if all were right with the world, Poco would have its rightful place in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.
The original members of Poco were all on hand to celebrate a reunion, as well as the return of drummer George Grantham after a stroke four years ago was a highlight. You want royalty? The lineup featured founding or long-time members Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, Grantham, Timothy B. Schmitt (Eagles), Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield) and Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina) to go along with current Poco members Jack Sundrud and George Lawrence. Whew.
“Having every significant member of Poco reunite for the Stagecoach Festival was an event that was very special to the fans and to all of us,” said Young. “It was a thrill to stand onstage again with Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham after forty years of Poco music. I hope that we can do it again someday.”
Industry veteran Bob Lefsetz had this to say in his blog, after a reader sent him an e-mail wondering aloud why Madonna is being considered for the Rock Hall but not Poco: “This performance was not made for fame, not even that much cash. But in it beats the heart of rock and roll. An aged band reunites for the DVD, they bury old hurts for the revenue. But watching this performance, you think Poco just did it for the joy.”
That pretty much says it all.
About Poco
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 1969, 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 Messina, Furay and Meisner to record Legacy, which spawned a few more of the band’s Top 40 hits, “Call It Love” and “Nothing To Hide.”
The band’s most recent discs – 2002’s Running Horse, 2005’s Bareback At Big Sky and the 2004 live CD/DVD Keeping The Legend Alive – are among the best of their career. Poco’s plans for the future include more recording and touring, as well as Rusty’s long-awaited book about life in the music business. Jack and Rusty have also discovered a second career as award-winning composers for a line of children’s videos. In addition, readers of Guitar Player voted Rusty Young into their ‘Gallery of Greats’ beside musicians like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. They received a Grammy nomination for ‘Instrumental of the Year’ and fans can find Poco memorabilia on display at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. With forty years, twenty-five albums and thousands of fans behind them, Poco was, is and forever will be the defining voice of country/rock.
For more information about Poco, please visit www.poconut.com or www.rickalter.com
7 comments:
Poco with Richard Furey plays this weekend at http://www.wildwoodspringslodge.com/
and they have for a number of years. Check out the other shows.
The classic Poco lineup is back. Excellent.
Why they aren't in the R&R Hall Of Fame is a mystery to me. Not only did they sell a few records, the critics for the most part liked them. Maybe they pissed Jann Wenner off once.
DOCTOR! Always great to hear from my Nashburg friend. I hope all is well with you. Wouldn't it be great to see the full band? One of the bands that you thought you'd never great to see...
get to see. Bummer
I had never heard that Poco inspired the Burrito Brothers.
The article is littered with hype from a publicist for Poco. Chicago Socialista, you are correct: not only did Poco not inspire the FBB (ridiculous) they also did not inspire Firefall,Pure Prairie League or The LRB.That's all just PR hype.As for the R and R Hall of Fame, unfortunately they never caught on, they didn't advance the country rock genre,while others like The Eagles and PPL went red hot nationally. Poco's music with Furay and company simply never ignited even though they played the hot clubs on the West Coast and East Coast, places where others played and took off.They also played on many big bills with big name bands.They lacked strong songwriting. Chris Hillman stated in his book "they just didn't have very good songs." I always liked Poco, and country rock, but Hillman probably hit the nail on the head.They were among the earliest of the genre, and had some very early critical acclaim, but that's about it.The biggest part of their legacy is who did what before or after they were in Poco, not what they did while in Poco.Had they accomplished what Furay thought they would, band members would not have left.
As for Running Horse, it bombed, even die hard Poco fans were not very enthusiatic. It wasn't long after it's release the band stopped playing tunes from in at shows.To call it one of the best in their career is absurd, it's mediocre at best.But they Keep On Tryin'!The defining voice of country rock ???? Now you know it was written by a publicist !
Country Rock Fan
We never seem to hear about one of the best lineups Poco ever had ... Paul Cotton, Rusty Young , Richard Neville and Tim Smith ... They were awesome .. the best rhythm section ever (Tim and Richard) for about 9 or 10 years in the 90's and early 2000
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