Poco
Encyclopedia
Poco is an Southern California
country rock
band originally formed by Richie Furay
and Jim Messina following the demise of Buffalo Springfield
in 1968. The title of their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces
, is a reference to the break-up of Buffalo Springfield. Highly influential and creative, they were pioneers of the Country Rock Genre. Throughout the years Poco has performed in various groupings, and is still active today.
album (Last Time Around
), each of the three lead singers (Stephen Stills
, Neil Young
and Richie Furay
) recorded songs without the other members present. 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 guitar
ist Rusty Young. When Buffalo Springfield then split up, Furay, Messina and Rusty Young decided to start their own group oriented toward such songs.
The original lineup of this new group was Furay (vocals and rhythm guitar
), Messina (lead guitar
, vocals, producer), Young (pedal steel guitar
, banjo
, Dobro
, guitar, mandolin 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 from Atlantic Records
(the Springfield's label) in return for the rights to Graham Nash
from the Hollies (who was moving to Atlantic as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash
). Originally, the new group was named "Pogo" after the famous comic strip character, but it had to change its name when Pogo creator Walt Kelly
objected to their use of the name and threatened to sue. "Poco" in Spanish and Italian means "little" or "un-", as "poco importante", and is also a musical term meaning "a little" or "by small measures".
Their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces
(1969), is considered a seminal album of the country rock genre. Reviewer Charley Walters awarded the release with 5 stars in the 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide edited by Dave Marsh and John Swenson , although it was subsequently reduced to 4 stars in the 1983 revised and updated edition of the book. However, the album performed weakly, peaking at #63 on Billboard
album chart
.
The band's lineup proved to be a problem throughout its career. During the recording of the debut album, Meisner left the group as a result of a conflict with Furay (reportedly, Meisner had objected after Furay barred all but himself and Messina from the first album's final mix playback sessions). After a stint playing with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, Meisner later became a founding member of the Eagles. Messina assumed the bass chores until Timothy B. Schmit
joined Poco in September 1969.
(1970) again resulted in low sales, peaking at #58. The band's next album, Deliverin'
, picked up moderate airplay, Furay's "C'mon" hitting #69. Deliverin’ became Poco's first album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard 200
, peaking at #26. Messina chose to leave the band in October 1970, feeling Furay exhibited too much control over the group's sound and left the band to return to studio production. At the recommendation of Peter Cetera of Chicago, Messina selected guitarist/singer Paul Cotton
, a one-time member of the Illinois Speed Press
to replace him.
The realigned Poco, now on its third lineup on just its fourth album, hired Steve Cropper
as producer
and released From the Inside (1971). Again, poor sales were the result as the release landed at #52. The band and its management were dissatisfied with Cropper's production and hired Jack Richardson
, who oversaw the next three albums, beginning with A Good Feelin’ to Know
(1972). The band built the LP around the title track, a popular concert tune, but the single failed to chart. The album itself peaked at #69. As a result, Furay became increasingly discouraged with Poco's prospects, especially since ex-bandmates Stills, Young, Meisner and Messina were so successful with their respective groups. In an April 26, 1973 Rolling Stone magazine interview with Cameron Crowe he vented that Poco was still a second-billed act and had not increased its audience. The next album, Crazy Eyes
(1973), reached #38 but Furay departed at its release 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.
(1974) and Cantamos
(1974). The albums charted at #68 and #76 respectively. Poco left Epic after Cantamos and signed with ABC-Dunhill Records. Head Over Heels
was their first ABC release, featuring Schmit's acoustic "Keep On Tryin'", which became the group's most successful single to date, charting at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Around the time of the release of Head Over Heels, The Very Best of Poco
was released as a compilation album
that documented the group's years with Epic. Epic's release fought with Head Over Heels for attention though neither charted very well, hitting #43 and #90, respectively.
The group's next ABC-Dunhill album was Rose Of Cimarron which also failed to generate much enthusiasm and peaked at #89. Another Epic release also came out in 1976, the live album Live
. Indian Summer
was released the following spring, reaching #57.
After Schmit's departure, Poco decided to take a break. Grantham took some time off, while Young and Cotton decided to continue as the "Cotton-Young Band" and redoubled their efforts to succeed. They selected the Britons Steve Chapman
(drums
) and Charlie Harrison (bass
) (former Judas Jump
), both of whom had played together with Leo Sayer
and Al Stewart
, to round out their new quartet. However, ABC decided to pick up the Cotton-Young album — as long as they continued under the 'Poco' name. Thus, although Grantham had never quit Poco, he found himself bought out of the group. He subsequently landed a job as drummer for Ricky Skaggs
.
Legend (1978), the Cotton-Young album with cover art by graphic artist (and later comedy actor) Phil Hartman
, subsequently became the group's most commercially successful album, containing two Top Twenty hits, "Crazy Love" written and sung by Rusty Young (which also had a seven-week run at Number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart
in early 1979, the biggest hit on the AC chart that year) and Cotton's "Heart of the Night". The album was certified gold
, Poco's first album to achieve this distinction in original distribution. Kim Bullard (keyboards
) joined the band in December 1978 just as Legend was being released. 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. With the momentum built up from Legends success, Poco played their new hit "Heart of the Night" on the live album No Nukes
in support of nuclear-free energy, which featured several other big artists such as Bruce Springsteen
and Jackson Browne
.
(1980), Blue And Gray
(1981), Cowboys & Englishmen
(1982) on MCA and, moving over to Atlantic Records
, Ghost Town (1982) and Inamorata (1984). Poco failed to duplicate the success achieved by Legend, with each album performing more poorly than its predecessor. Furay, Schmit and Grantham had, since their departures, each guested with Poco at various times. Inamorata in 1984 included contributions by all three former members. Poco contributed the song "I'll Leave it Up to You" to the Fast Times at Ridgemont High
soundtrack.
The group lost its recording contract with Atlantic due to the slow sales of Inamorata but continued to tour, mostly in small clubs. Bullard left to rejoin Crosby, Stills & Nash
in 1983 and Harrison (who had not played on Inamorata) departed in mid-1984. New members Jeff Steele
(bass) and Rick Seratte (keyboards, backing vocals) came in for Poco's 1984 tour dates, only to be replaced in 1985 by Jack Sundrud and the returning Grantham. Grantham's reunion was brief though, in 1986 Ricky Skaggs asked him to rejoin his band. Chapman came back to take over drums again. After a few scattered dates for Poco in 1987 Paul Cotton did not perform with Poco again until 1992.
After a lengthy recording hiatus, at the urging of Richard Marx
, Poco re-emerged on the RCA
label with the successful Legacy (1989), reuniting original members Young, Furay, Messina, Grantham, and Meisner 20 years after Poco's debut. The album produced a Top 20 hit, "Call It Love" and a Top 40 hit, "Nothing to Hide" earning Poco its second gold album (in its 19th album). The group (having added a keyboardist, Dave Vanecore) toured in early 1990 opening for Marx. Furay bowed out early on and Poco toured as a headliner in the summer of 1990 with Sundrud returning to take over rhythm guitar from Furay. In 1991, Poco toured as an acoustic trio with Young, Messina and Meisner (drummer Gary Mallaber
joined them for dates in Japan that July). But by the end of 1991, Messina and Meisner had returned to their individual careers.
By early 1992, Poco was once again without a record deal, Rusty Young was the sole owner of the Poco name and, though they had not officially disbanded, the band seemed to be quietly fading away. But despite this, Young once again teamed with Cotton, brought in new members Richard Neville
(vocals, bass) and Tim Smith (drums) and toured through the end of the decade, although at a very limited schedule. Young and Cotton occasionally also appeared as Poco as an acoustic duo.
In 2000, Grantham and Sundrud once again returned to Poco, reuniting the group's 1985 lineup, and Running Horse
(2002) found the band in the studio for the first time in thirteen years. The CD was released through the bands website. Furay, who had continued to make guest appearances at their shows over the years when they played in his native Colorado, reunited with the band again for a sold out show in Nashville in May 2004, resulting in the CD–DVD release Keeping the Legend Alive
(2004). In July of the same year, Grantham suffered a stroke
during a live performance. Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama recording session drummer George Lawrence, who had subbed for Tim Smith on drums in 1999, subbed on drums for Grantham for the rest of 2004 and then was asked to join Poco full time in 2005. Grantham's recovery was slow and expensive, and the group created a donor fund on its official website, Poconut.org, to offset some of his considerable medical expenses. Starting in 2009 Grantham began occasionally appearing with the band again but limited his contributions to vocals only.
, a tour of California in 2009 ending at the Stagecoach Festival
in Indio where they were joined by Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham, and several dates opening for Loggins and Messina
featuring Furay, Messina, and Grantham. 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 40+ year career.
Since 2004 Rusty Young has been the only original member in the band, and he remains the leader and front man on stage. The band's performances showcase his talents as a instrumental soloist, singer, songwriter and story teller. Out of all the members of Poco, past and present, Young is the only person who performed at every Poco gig since the beginning and played on every Poco recording. According to their management, dates have been booked for 2011.
In January 2011 Poco started work on a new studio album in Nashville at Sixteen Ton Studio. Tentatively titled Long in the Tooth but Short in the Hair, the album is scheduled to be released in mid-2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band originally formed by Richie Furay
Richie Furay
Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
and Jim Messina following the demise of Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
in 1968. The title of their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces
Pickin' Up the Pieces
Pickin' Up the Pieces is the debut album by Country rock pioneers Poco, released in 1969. It was one of the earliest examples of the emerging genre of Country rock. Several of the songs here date back to Richie Furay's days in Buffalo Springfield...
, is a reference to the break-up of Buffalo Springfield. Highly influential and creative, they were pioneers of the Country Rock Genre. Throughout the years Poco has performed in various groupings, and is still active today.
Inception
During recording of the third Buffalo SpringfieldBuffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
album (Last Time Around
Last Time Around
Last Time Around is the third and final album by folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released in 1968 . The members included Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer, and Jim Messina.- History :...
), each of the three lead singers (Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and Richie Furay
Richie Furay
Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
) recorded songs without the other members present. 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 guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
ist Rusty Young. When Buffalo Springfield then split up, Furay, Messina and Rusty Young decided to start their own group oriented toward such songs.
The original lineup of this new group was Furay (vocals and rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Messina (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals, producer), Young (pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, Dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, guitar, mandolin and vocals), George Grantham (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and vocals) and Randy Meisner
Randy Meisner
Randy Herman Meisner is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of Poco and the Eagles...
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals). The group was signed to a recording contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, which acquired the rights to Furay from Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
(the Springfield's label) in return for the rights to Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
from the Hollies (who was moving to Atlantic as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
). Originally, the new group was named "Pogo" after the famous comic strip character, but it had to change its name when Pogo creator Walt Kelly
Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly, Jr. , or Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip, Pogo. He began his animation career in 1936 at Walt Disney Studios, contributing to Pinocchio and Fantasia. Kelly resigned in 1941 at the age of 28 to work at Post-Hall Syndicate,...
objected to their use of the name and threatened to sue. "Poco" in Spanish and Italian means "little" or "un-", as "poco importante", and is also a musical term meaning "a little" or "by small measures".
Their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces
Pickin' Up the Pieces
Pickin' Up the Pieces is the debut album by Country rock pioneers Poco, released in 1969. It was one of the earliest examples of the emerging genre of Country rock. Several of the songs here date back to Richie Furay's days in Buffalo Springfield...
(1969), is considered a seminal album of the country rock genre. Reviewer Charley Walters awarded the release with 5 stars in the 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide edited by Dave Marsh and John Swenson , although it was subsequently reduced to 4 stars in the 1983 revised and updated edition of the book. However, the album performed weakly, peaking at #63 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
The band's lineup proved to be a problem throughout its career. During the recording of the debut album, Meisner left the group as a result of a conflict with Furay (reportedly, Meisner had objected after Furay barred all but himself and Messina from the first album's final mix playback sessions). After a stint playing with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, Meisner later became a founding member of the Eagles. Messina assumed the bass chores until Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
joined Poco in September 1969.
Furay era (1970 to 1974)
The studio album PocoPoco (album)
Poco is the second album by the Country rock band Poco. The Messina-penned "You Better Think Twice" became a signature song for Poco. A copy of this record hangs in the Poco exhibit in the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville along with the jacket Rusty Young wears on the back cover.-Track...
(1970) again resulted in low sales, peaking at #58. The band's next album, Deliverin'
Deliverin'
Deliverin’ is the third album, and first live album, by the Country rock band Poco. Jim Messina quit the band in October 1970, prior to the release of the album.-Track listing:#“I Guess You Made It” – 3:58#“C’mon” – 3:10...
, picked up moderate airplay, Furay's "C'mon" hitting #69. Deliverin’ became Poco's first album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, peaking at #26. Messina chose to leave the band in October 1970, feeling Furay exhibited too much control over the group's sound and left the band to return to studio production. At the recommendation of Peter Cetera of Chicago, Messina selected guitarist/singer Paul Cotton
Paul Cotton (musician)
Paul Cotton is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, most notable as a member of the band Poco and as the writer of the international hit song from that band, "The Heart of the Night".-History:Most of Paul Cotton's music career has been as songwriter, guitarist and singer for the band Poco...
, a one-time member of the Illinois Speed Press
Illinois Speed Press
Illinois Speed Press was an American rock band formed - originally, in 1965, as The Rovin' Kind - in Chicago, later relocating to California. The band was formed by Paul Cotton - later of Poco - and Kal David...
to replace him.
The realigned Poco, now on its third lineup on just its fourth album, hired Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
as producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and released From the Inside (1971). Again, poor sales were the result as the release landed at #52. The band and its management were dissatisfied with Cropper's production and hired Jack Richardson
Jack Richardson (record producer)
Jack Richardson, CM was a Juno Award-nominated Canadian record producer and Order of Canada recipient. He is perhaps best known for producing the biggest hit records from The Guess Who from 1969 to 1975...
, who oversaw the next three albums, beginning with A Good Feelin’ to Know
A Good Feelin’ To Know
A Good Feelin’ to Know is the fifth album by the country rock band Poco. The title track became Poco's most recognizable tune of its early days. The album did not do as well commercially as expected, discouraging Richie Furay.-Track listing:...
(1972). The band built the LP around the title track, a popular concert tune, but the single failed to chart. The album itself peaked at #69. As a result, Furay became increasingly discouraged with Poco's prospects, especially since ex-bandmates Stills, Young, Meisner and Messina were so successful with their respective groups. In an April 26, 1973 Rolling Stone magazine interview with Cameron Crowe he vented that Poco was still a second-billed act and had not increased its audience. The next album, Crazy Eyes
Crazy Eyes
Crazy Eyes is the sixth album by the country rock band Poco. The album pays homage to Gram Parsons, as Richie Furay sings both the title track, which he wrote in honor of Parsons, and one of Parsons' own compositions, "Brass Buttons". The album was released just four days before Parsons' death on...
(1973), reached #38 but Furay departed at its release and joined with J. D. Souther
J. D. Souther
John David Souther is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has written and co-written numerous hits songs recorded by artists such as Linda Ronstadt and Glenn Frey of the Eagles.-Singing career:...
and Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
to create the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
The Souther Hillman Furay Band was a country rock supergroup led by singer-songwriters Richie Furay , Chris Hillman , and J.D. Souther...
on Asylum. Poco decided not to replace Furay and continued as a quartet.
Post-Furay era (1974 to 1977)
After Furay's departure, the band released their last two albums with Epic; SevenSeven (Poco album)
Seven is the seventh album by the country rock band Poco. This is the first album Poco made after leader Richie Furay left the band. The front cover was designed by Phil Hartman.-Track listing:#"Drivin' Wheel" – 6:10...
(1974) and Cantamos
Cantamos
-Track listing:#"Sagebrush Serenade" – 4:58#"Susannah" – 4:13#"High and Dry" – 4:49#"Western Waterloo'" – 4:00#"One Horse Blue" – 3:34#"Bitter Blue" – 3:20...
(1974). The albums charted at #68 and #76 respectively. Poco left Epic after Cantamos and signed with ABC-Dunhill Records. Head Over Heels
Head over Heels (Poco album)
Head Over Heels is the ninth album by the country rock band Poco. Schmit's "Keep On Tryin'" shows off the band's skills in harmonizing and became a cut that the band played in concert for many years...
was their first ABC release, featuring Schmit's acoustic "Keep On Tryin'", which became the group's most successful single to date, charting at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Around the time of the release of Head Over Heels, The Very Best of Poco
The Very Best of Poco (1975 album)
The first in a long line of compilation albums, The Very Best of Poco features highlights from the band's career from 1969-1974. When released on CD in the late 80s, the album omits two tracks originally on the album, "Railroad Days" and "Skatin" for space reasons.-Track listing:#"You Better Think...
was released as a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
that documented the group's years with Epic. Epic's release fought with Head Over Heels for attention though neither charted very well, hitting #43 and #90, respectively.
The group's next ABC-Dunhill album was Rose Of Cimarron which also failed to generate much enthusiasm and peaked at #89. Another Epic release also came out in 1976, the live album Live
Live (Poco album)
Poco Live is the tenth album, and second live album, by the country rock band Poco. The material for this album had been recorded for Epic Records shortly after the Cantamos album, but it was not released until over a year later, after Poco's success with the Head Over Heels album...
. Indian Summer
Indian Summer (Poco album)
Indian Summer is the 12th album by the Country rock band Poco, released in 1977. This was the band's last studio album before both Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham left the group.-Track listing:#"Indian Summer" – 4:40...
was released the following spring, reaching #57.
Success (1977 to 1980)
In August 1977, with the support of the rest of Poco, Schmit quit to join the Eagles, coincidentally replacing former Poco member Meisner yet again. As a result, a fully produced live album was shelved by ABC. After languishing in storage for many years, the album was eventually released as The Last Roundup in 2004.After Schmit's departure, Poco decided to take a break. Grantham took some time off, while Young and Cotton decided to continue as the "Cotton-Young Band" and redoubled their efforts to succeed. They selected the Britons Steve Chapman
Steve Chapman
Professor Stephen Kenneth Chapman FRSE FRSC CChem PhD is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.-Early life:...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Charlie Harrison (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) (former Judas Jump
Judas Jump
Judas Jump was a British short-lived prog rock supergroup, formed in 1969. They released one album and three singles before disbanding in 1971. They are best known for their various members who had success before and after Judas Jump.-Career:...
), both of whom had played together with Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
and Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
, to round out their new quartet. However, ABC decided to pick up the Cotton-Young album — as long as they continued under the 'Poco' name. Thus, although Grantham had never quit Poco, he found himself bought out of the group. He subsequently landed a job as drummer for Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
.
Legend (1978), the Cotton-Young album with cover art by graphic artist (and later comedy actor) Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
, subsequently became the group's most commercially successful album, containing two Top Twenty hits, "Crazy Love" written and sung by Rusty Young (which also had a seven-week run at Number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
in early 1979, the biggest hit on the AC chart that year) and Cotton's "Heart of the Night". The album was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, Poco's first album to achieve this distinction in original distribution. Kim Bullard (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) joined the band in December 1978 just as Legend was being released. While "Crazy Love" was riding up the charts, ABC Records was sold to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. Poco was retained by MCA and the Legend album was reissued on the MCA label. With the momentum built up from Legends success, Poco played their new hit "Heart of the Night" on the live album No Nukes
No Nukes (album)
No Nukes: The Muse Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future was a 1979 triple live album that contained selections from the September 1979 Madison Square Garden concerts by the Musicians United for Safe Energy collective, with Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall being the key...
in support of nuclear-free energy, which featured several other big artists such as Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
.
1980 to 2005
During the first half of the 1980s, the group released five more albums: Under the GunUnder the Gun (Poco album)
Under The Gun is the 14th album by the Country rock band Poco. The title track and "Midnight Rain" both find themselves on the charts. They both are played live to this day by the band.-Track listing:#"Under The Gun" – 3:11...
(1980), Blue And Gray
Blue and Gray
Blue And Gray is the fifteenth album by the Country rock band Poco. The album is a theme-based record, similar to Desperado by The Eagles, only the theme on this record is the American Civil War...
(1981), Cowboys & Englishmen
Cowboys & Englishmen
Cowboys & Englishmen is the 16th album by the Country rock band Poco. The Young-penned "Feudin'" was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for Best Country Instrumental Performance.-Track listing:#"Sea Of Heartbreak" – 3:44...
(1982) on MCA and, moving over to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, Ghost Town (1982) and Inamorata (1984). Poco failed to duplicate the success achieved by Legend, with each album performing more poorly than its predecessor. Furay, Schmit and Grantham had, since their departures, each guested with Poco at various times. Inamorata in 1984 included contributions by all three former members. Poco contributed the song "I'll Leave it Up to You" to the Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
soundtrack.
The group lost its recording contract with Atlantic due to the slow sales of Inamorata but continued to tour, mostly in small clubs. Bullard left to rejoin Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
in 1983 and Harrison (who had not played on Inamorata) departed in mid-1984. New members Jeff Steele
Jeff Steele
Jeff Steele is an American entertainment industry executive. He is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the media finance company Film Closings Inc., and is publisher of the film finance blog, ; he is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post and The Wrap.-Life and career:Jeff Steele was...
(bass) and Rick Seratte (keyboards, backing vocals) came in for Poco's 1984 tour dates, only to be replaced in 1985 by Jack Sundrud and the returning Grantham. Grantham's reunion was brief though, in 1986 Ricky Skaggs asked him to rejoin his band. Chapman came back to take over drums again. After a few scattered dates for Poco in 1987 Paul Cotton did not perform with Poco again until 1992.
After a lengthy recording hiatus, at the urging of Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
, Poco re-emerged on the RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
label with the successful Legacy (1989), reuniting original members Young, Furay, Messina, Grantham, and Meisner 20 years after Poco's debut. The album produced a Top 20 hit, "Call It Love" and a Top 40 hit, "Nothing to Hide" earning Poco its second gold album (in its 19th album). The group (having added a keyboardist, Dave Vanecore) toured in early 1990 opening for Marx. Furay bowed out early on and Poco toured as a headliner in the summer of 1990 with Sundrud returning to take over rhythm guitar from Furay. In 1991, Poco toured as an acoustic trio with Young, Messina and Meisner (drummer Gary Mallaber
Gary Mallaber
Gary Mallaber is a Los Angeles session drummer, percussionist and singer. He got his start playing drums in a band from Buffalo, New York, known as Raven....
joined them for dates in Japan that July). But by the end of 1991, Messina and Meisner had returned to their individual careers.
By early 1992, Poco was once again without a record deal, Rusty Young was the sole owner of the Poco name and, though they had not officially disbanded, the band seemed to be quietly fading away. But despite this, Young once again teamed with Cotton, brought in new members Richard Neville
Richard Neville
Richard Neville may refer to:*Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , known as 'Warwick the Kingmaker', English noble, fought in the Wars of the Roses...
(vocals, bass) and Tim Smith (drums) and toured through the end of the decade, although at a very limited schedule. Young and Cotton occasionally also appeared as Poco as an acoustic duo.
In 2000, Grantham and Sundrud once again returned to Poco, reuniting the group's 1985 lineup, and Running Horse
Running Horse
Running Horse is the 20th album by the Country rock band Poco. Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, and George Grantham reunite for the first time since 1977 with new material.-Track listing:#“One Tear At A Time” – 3:02...
(2002) found the band in the studio for the first time in thirteen years. The CD was released through the bands website. Furay, who had continued to make guest appearances at their shows over the years when they played in his native Colorado, reunited with the band again for a sold out show in Nashville in May 2004, resulting in the CD–DVD release Keeping the Legend Alive
Keeping the Legend Alive
Keeping The Legend Alive is the 22nd album and 4th live album by the country rock band Poco. It was re-released in 2006 under the title "Alive In The Heart Of The Night." It includes original members Richie Furay, *George Grantham and Rusty Young, Paul Cotton who replaced Jim Messina in 1970 and...
(2004). In July of the same year, Grantham suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
during a live performance. Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama recording session drummer George Lawrence, who had subbed for Tim Smith on drums in 1999, subbed on drums for Grantham for the rest of 2004 and then was asked to join Poco full time in 2005. Grantham's recovery was slow and expensive, and the group created a donor fund on its official website, Poconut.org, to offset some of his considerable medical expenses. Starting in 2009 Grantham began occasionally appearing with the band again but limited his contributions to vocals only.
2005 to 2010
Poco continued to write and record while performing at festivals, performing arts centers, theaters and clubs. In 2005, they played a short tour in Europe, but Cotton was hospitalized in Norway with health issues and missed the last two shows of the tour. Guitarist and singer Bill Lloyd substituted for Cotton for several shows in the US. Cotton returned in 2006, stabilizing the lineup of Young, Cotton, Sundrud, and drummer George Lawrence. Cotton and Sundrud released solo albums. Young has authored an autobiographical history of the band. Poco alumni continued to periodically reunite in concert with this lineup. Richie Furay and Jim Messina returned for several 2008 Poco performances at the Wildwood Lodge in Steelville, MissouriSteelville, Missouri
Steelville is a city in Crawford County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,429 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Steelville is located at...
, a tour of California in 2009 ending at the Stagecoach Festival
Stagecoach Festival
The Stagecoach Festival is an outdoor country music festival presented by Goldenvoice. The festival is located in Indio, CA, USA. It has various types of artists that attend, whether they be mainstream or almost unknown.-2007:...
in Indio where they were joined by Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham, and several dates opening for Loggins and Messina
Loggins and Messina
Loggins and Messina are an American rock-pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina who achieved their success in the early to mid 1970s...
featuring Furay, Messina, and Grantham. Bareback at Big Sky
Bareback at Big Sky
Bareback at Big Sky is the 5th live album by the Country rock band Poco, released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Under The Gun" – 4:29#"Nothing Less Than Love " – 4:17...
(2005) and The Wildwood Sessions
The Wildwood Sessions
The Wildwood Sessions is the sixth live album by the country rock band Poco. Recorded live at The Wildwood Lodge in Steelville, MO.-Track listing:#"Grand Junction" – 2:11#"Cajun Moon" The Wildwood Sessions is the sixth live album by the country rock band Poco. Recorded live at The Wildwood Lodge...
(2006) are Poco's most recent original releases, capturing live acoustic versions of songs both new and familiar from their 40+ year career.
2010 to present
In early 2010, Cotton left Poco abruptly, publicly citing a contractual dispute. Nashville veteran Michael Webb joined the band on vocals, stringed instruments, keys and accordion. In late 2010 the band, in its 20th lineup, was still touring and announced plans for a new studio album to be recorded in Nashville in early 2011.Since 2004 Rusty Young has been the only original member in the band, and he remains the leader and front man on stage. The band's performances showcase his talents as a instrumental soloist, singer, songwriter and story teller. Out of all the members of Poco, past and present, Young is the only person who performed at every Poco gig since the beginning and played on every Poco recording. According to their management, dates have been booked for 2011.
In January 2011 Poco started work on a new studio album in Nashville at Sixteen Ton Studio. Tentatively titled Long in the Tooth but Short in the Hair, the album is scheduled to be released in mid-2011.
Lineups
| 1968–1969 |
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| 1969 |
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| 1969–1970 |
Timothy B. Schmit Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group... – bass, harmonica, vocals |
| 1970–1973 |
Paul Cotton (musician) Paul Cotton is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, most notable as a member of the band Poco and as the writer of the international hit song from that band, "The Heart of the Night".-History:Most of Paul Cotton's music career has been as songwriter, guitarist and singer for the band Poco... – guitars, vocals |
| 1973–1976 |
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| 1976 |
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| 1976–1977 |
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| 1978 |
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| 1978–1983 |
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| 1984 |
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| 1985 |
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| 1986–1987 |
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| 1988–1989 |
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| 1989–1990 |
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| 1990 |
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| 1991 |
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| 1992–1999 |
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| 2000–2004 |
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| 2004–2010 |
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| 2010–present |
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