Overview:
After Buffalo Springfield disbanded, several of its members formed the long-lived country-rock group Poco.
Trivia Fact about Poco:
The band was originally called "Pogo," but a lawsuit from the creator of the similarly titled comic-strip led to a slight name change.
Comparisons:
Poco's sound varied widely depending on the decade. Their material from the 1970s was more reminiscent of a countrified Crosby, Stills & Nash. Smooth vocal harmonies were paired with bouncy organ, honky-tonk piano, and weeping pedal-steel guitar.
From the 1980s on, the band sounded more like a straightforward rock group.
Recommended Poco Albums:
- Poco (1970)
- From the Inside (1973)
- Crazy Eyes (1975)
Best Poco Songs:
- "Crazy
- "Honky Tonk Downstairs
- "Keep on Tryin"
- "Pickin' Up the Pieces"
- "Ride the Country
- "You Better Think Twice"
Original Lineup:
- Richie Furay – guitars and vocals
- Jim Messina – guitars, bass, and vocals
- Rusty Young – pedal-steel guitar and dobro
- Randy Meisner – bass and vocals
- George Grantham – drums and vocals
Biography:
Poco was founded in 1968 by former Buffalo Springfield sidemen Jim Messina and Richie Furay, as well as unaffiliated pedal-steel player Rusty Young.
After performing gigs with the Steve Miller Band, the group was signed to a contract with Columbia Records in 1969. Their debut, Pickin' Up the Pieces, came out the same year, and their self-titled follow-up was released the year after.
Numerous lineup changes later, Poco had their biggest commercial success to date with 1973's Crazy Eyes. Randy Messina and bassist Randy Meisner had already left the group by that time, and Richie Furay soon joined them.
Rusty Young was the only founding member remaining but the band pressed on unimpeded into the late '70s and '80s.
In 1989, Poco's original lineup reunited for the album Legacy.
