Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young along with Randy Meisner (bass) and George Grantham (drums). Meisner quit the band while they were recording their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, though his bass and backing vocal parts were kept in the final mix. He was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit in 1969, and Messina left in 1970 to be replaced by Paul Cotton. The line-up would change numerous times over the next several decades, with Rusty Young being the only constant member. A reunion of the founding members occurred in the late 1980s-early 1990s, and the band continued in some form through 2021, though they retired from active touring in 2013, with Young citing health concerns as the primary cause of his retirement. Young died from a heart attack in April 2021.

To date, the band has released 19 studio albums, the most successful of which was 1978's Legend, which featured the Billboard Hot 100 #17 and Adult Contemporary #1 hit "Crazy Love". The band's last album was All Fired Up in 2013.

Poco are considered one of the founders of the Southern California country rock sound, and three of the members of the band have been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as members of other bands (Furay with Buffalo Springfield, Meisner and Schmit with the Eagles). However, the band has yet to receive a nomination since entering eligibility in 1995.

History

Inception

During the recording of Buffalo Springfield's third and final album, Last Time Around, lead singers Stephen Stills, Neil Young and Richie Furay each recorded songs without the other members present. One of Furay's solo efforts 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.

When Buffalo Springfield split up, Furay, Messina and Rusty Young decided to start their own group oriented toward such songs. Its original line-up was Furay (vocals and rhythm guitar), Messina (lead guitar, vocals, producer), Rusty 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 the Springfield's Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco label in return for those to Graham Nash of The Hollies (who was moving to Atlantic as part of forming Crosby, Stills & Nash). Originally, the new group was named "Pogo", after the comic strip character, but was changed when the strip's creator, Walt Kelly, objected and threatened to sue. The first edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide, edited by Dave Marsh and John Swenson, gave the release 5 stars, its highest rating, as an essential album. However, the album performed weakly, peaking at No. 63 on Billboard album chart. After a stint playing with Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, Meisner became a founding member of the Eagles. Messina briefly took over on bass until Timothy B. Schmit joined the band in September 1969. Also inducted into the CMHOF along with Poco were Firefall, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Stephen Stills and Manassas.

From 2015 through 2021, though not touring full-time, Poco continued to play isolated dates around the US. In 2016 drummer Lawrence was replaced by Rick Lonow (formerly of The Flying Burrito Brothers). Lex Browning, Jack Sundrud's former bandmate in Great Plains, replaced Michael Webb on guitar in the fall of 2018.

In early 2020, Poco friend and fan Tom Hampton was brought in by Sundrud to replace Browning for tour dates, but touring was suddenly halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rusty Young died on April 14, 2021, at his home in Davisville, Missouri, from a heart attack. He was 75. His death marked the end for Poco.

Three and a half months after Rusty Young's April 2021 death, his former partner in the band, Paul Cotton, died at his summer home in Eugene, Oregon, at age 78 on August 1, 2021.

Fans and surviving band members have released the tribute album My Friend: A Tribute To Rusty Young, in March 2022 and there was a reunion/tribute "Poconut" concert on October 8, 2022, in Steelville, Missouri, near Young's home, where the surviving members of the band's final lineup, Jack Sundrud, Tom Hampton and Rick Lonow, were joined by original drummer George Grantham, who guested on harmony vocals, and Michael Kelsh. It is unclear if this performance can be considered the final performance by Poco or if that technically occurred prior to Rusty Young's death in 2021.

Selected studio reissues

In 1997 From the Inside and A Good Feelin' to Know were reissued on CD by BGO, a British label. However, the reissue had some problems, as it appeared the tape used to remaster From the Inside had significant damage to it. Pickin' Up the Pieces and Poco, the band's first and second albums, were also reissued during this time, with no noticeable damage to the master tapes. The notes give a brief history of the band and the recording of each album.

In 2006 BGO reissued four more albums, with two albums on each CD: Seven with Cantamos, the band's seventh and eighth albums, and Deliverin, the band's first live album, with Crazy Eyes. Neither set had any bonus tracks as part of the reissue, although there are extensive sleeve notes about Poco's history and the making of the album. The reissues were remastered by Jack Thompson, although it does not note whether or not these were remastered from the original master tapes or the safety masters as previous CDs were.

In 2011 BGO licensed and reissued remastered editions of four of Poco's ABC/MCA titles, again remastered by Thompson, putting two albums on each CD, with extensive liner notes written by John Tobler. The pairings were Head over Heels with Rose of Cimarron, and Under the Gun with Blue and Gray. No bonus tracks or outtakes were included.

Members

Final members

  • Rusty Young – steel and rhythm guitars, dobro, banjo, mandolin, percussion, vocals
  • Jack Sundrud – bass, rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Rick Lonow – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Tom Hampton – lead guitar, vocals

Discography

Studio albums

  • Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969)
  • Poco (1970)
  • From the Inside (1971)
  • A Good Feelin' to Know (1972)
  • Crazy Eyes (1973)
  • Seven (1974)
  • Cantamos (1974)
  • Head over Heels (1975)
  • Rose of Cimarron (1976)
  • Indian Summer (1977)
  • Legend (1978)
  • Under the Gun (1980)
  • Blue and Gray (1981)
  • Cowboys & Englishmen (1982)
  • Ghost Town (1982)
  • Inamorata (1984)
  • Legacy (1989)
  • Running Horse (2002)
  • All Fired Up (2013)

References

  • Official band site
  • Interview with Rusty Young on Yuzu Melodies