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Poco were an American country rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in July 1968, the group originally consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Richie Furay, lead guitarist and vocalist Jim Messina, steel guitarist Norman "Rusty" Young, bassist and vocalist Randy Meisner, and drummer and vocalist George Grantham. The band disbanded following Young's death in April 2021 – the final lineup was Young alongside bassist and vocalist Jack Sundrud (1985–1987, 1990–1991, and since 2000), drummer Rick Lonow (since 2016), and guitarist and vocalist Tom Hampton (since 2020).

History

1968–1988

Poco was formed in July 1968 by Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay, Jim Messina and session contributor Rusty Young, with former Poor bassist Randy Meisner and Young's former bandmate George Grantham completing the initial lineup. Shortly after the recording of the group's debut album Pickin' Up the Pieces in early 1969, Meisner left and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit. A self-titled second album followed in May 1970, before Messina left in October to focus on record production. He was replaced by Paul Cotton. After three albums in three years – From the Inside (1971), A Good Feelin' to Know (1972) and Crazy Eyes (1973) – Furay left in October 1973 and the remaining members opted to continue as a four-piece. Following Furay's departure, Poco was led by Cotton and Young.

The four-piece of Cotton, Young, Schmit and Grantham remained stable for almost four years, before Schmit left to join the Eagles in September 1977, coincidentally replacing Randy Meisner again after taking over his position in Poco eight years prior. With the group taking a brief hiatus, Grantham left in January 1978, leaving Young as the sole remaining original member. Within a few months, Cotton and Young had enlisted bassist Charlie Harrison and drummer Steve Chapman to record Legend, which was released that November. The following month, the group added Kim Bullard as its first keyboardist to become a five-piece again.

After a string of releases, Bullard left Poco following the tour in promotion of 1982's Ghost Town, joining Stephen Stills' solo band in the summer of 1983. Following the release of Inamorata the following year, Bullard and bassist Harrison were replaced by Rick Seratte and Jeff Steele, respectively. By early 1985, George Grantham had returned on drums and Jack Sundrud had joined on bass. The next year, Grantham backed out again and Chapman returned in his place. Poco continued touring until the summer of 1987.

Since 1988

In late 1988, the original Poco lineup of Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Rusty Young, Randy Meisner and George Grantham reformed and recorded Legacy. After the album's 1989 release, the band returned to touring from January 1990, joined by keyboardist David Vanacore; for later shows starting in June, Furay backed out to return to his career as a church minister, with former bassist Jack Sundrud taking his place on rhythm guitar and the remaining members sharing vocal duties.

During early 1991, Poco toured as an acoustic trio featuring Messina, Young and Meisner, before Gary Mallaber joined on drums for a Japanese tour in the summer. Later in the year, Messina and Meisner left Poco again, at which point Young rebuilt the group with former lead guitarist Paul Cotton and new members Richard Neville on bass and Tim Smith on drums. This lineup remained constant for almost nine years, but did not record any new material – in early 2000, Neville and Smith were replaced by returning members Sundrud and Grantham. This lineup released Running Horse, the group's first studio album in 13 years, in November 2002.

Shortly after recording the live album Keeping the Legend Alive, Grantham was forced to temporarily stop touring with Poco after suffering a stroke; he was replaced by stand-in George Lawrence, who later became an official member of the band when Grantham was unable to return.

In early 2010, Cotton was replaced by Michael Webb, who primarily focused on keyboards in the group's lineup. The new lineup released All Fired Up in 2013. At the end of 2013, Rusty Young announced his retirement; a few shows were booked into 2014, including three farewell shows in Florida. One of those shows was a performance in a recording studio in front of a live audience for a DVD documentary of the band's live show. Young said there could be some one-off concerts in the future after that, but the band would not be actively touring as before. Young and Sundrud wrote and recorded music for children's story videos as the "Session Cats". Lawrence, Sundrud, and Webb continued to write, record, and play on their own projects and to do freelance work with other artists in Nashville. Young continued to do guest performances with former members of Poco and other country rock artists.

Poco was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame (CMHOF) with the CMHOF induction ceremony which took place at the Paramount Theatre (Denver, Colorado) on January 9, 2015, and included a one-off reunion performance with a lineup of Rusty Young and former members Richie Furay, Timothy B. Schmit, and Paul Cotton.

From 2015 through 2021, though not touring full-time, Poco played 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 mandolin, fiddle, and guitar in October 2018.

By January 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. Poco split after Young's death.

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 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 Jack Sundrud, Tom Hampton, and Rick Lonow, the surviving members of the band's final lineup, were joined by original drummer George Grantham, who guested on harmony vocals, and Michael Kelsh. It is unclear if this is considered the final performance by Poco or if that technically occurred prior to Rusty Young's death in April 2021.

Members

Final

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Norman "Rusty" Young	1968–2021 (until his death)	steel and rhythm guitars dobro banjo mandolin percussion vocals occasional piano	all Poco releases
	Jack Sundrud	1985–1987 1990–1991 2000–2021	bass rhythm guitar harmonica vocals	Running Horse (2002) all Poco releases from Keeping the Legend Alive (2004) onwards
	Rick Lonow	2016–2021	drums percussion vocals	none
	Tom Hampton	2020–2021	lead guitar vocals

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	George Grantham	1968–1978 1985–1986 1988–1991 2000–2004 2013 (one-off; guest)	drums percussion vocals	all Poco releases from Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969) to Indian Summer (1977), and from Inamorata (1984) to Keeping the Legend Alive (2004) All Fired Up (2013) – one track only
	Richie Furay	1968–1973 1988–1990 2015 (one-off)	rhythm guitar vocals	all Poco releases from Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969) to Crazy Eyes (1973) Inamorata (1984) Legacy (1989) The Last Roundup (2004) – two tracks only Keeping the Legend Alive (2004)
	Jim Messina	1968–1970 1988–1991	lead guitar vocals	Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969) Poco (1970) Deliverin' (1971) Seven (1974) – one track only Legacy (1989)
	Randy Meisner	1968–1969 1988–1991 (died 2023)	bass vocals	Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969) Legacy (1989)
	Timothy B. Schmit	1969-1977 2015 (one-off)	bass percussion harmonica vocals	all Poco releases from Poco (1970) to Indian Summer (1977) Inamorata (1984) The Last Roundup (2004)
	Paul Cotton	1970–1987 1991–2010 2015 (one-off) (died 2021)	lead guitar vocals	all Poco releases from From the Inside (1971) to The Wildwood Sessions (2006), except Legacy (1989)
	Steve Chapman	1978–1985 1986–1987	drums percussion	all Poco releases from Legend (1978) to Inamorata (1984)
	Charlie Harrison	1978–1984	bass backing vocals	all Poco releases from Legend (1978) to Ghost Town (1982)
	Kim Bullard		keyboards backing vocals	all Poco releases from Under the Gun (1980) to Inamorata (1984)
	Rick Seratte	1984–1985		none
	Jeff Steele		bass backing vocals
	David Vanacore	1990–1991	keyboards
	Gary Mallaber	1991	drums backing vocals
	Tim Smith	1991–2000
	Richard Neville		bass backing vocals
	George Lawrence	2004–2016	drums percussion	Bareback at Big Sky (2005) All Fired Up (2013)
	Michael Webb	2010–2018	keyboards lead guitar mandolin bass vocals	All Fired Up (2013)
	Lex Browning	2018–2020	lead guitar fiddle mandolin backing vocals	none

Timeline

Lineups

References

1. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Poco: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
2. Lifton, Dave (December 23, 2014). "Timothy B. Schmit to Reunite With Poco for Colorado Music Hall of Fame Induction". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
3. Linn, Sarah (September 10, 2015). "Jim Messina, playing in AG, talks about 'Sittin' In' with Kenny Loggins". The Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
4. Gould, Mark T. (September 2000). "Paul Cotton: Thirty Years on the Run (and He's Still Riding the Country)". Sound Waves. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
5. "Furay Exits Poco" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 29, no. 1372. New York City, New York: Record World. October 6, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
6. Willman, Chris (April 15, 2021). "Rusty Young, Poco's Co-Founder and Longtime Frontman, Dies at 75". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
7. "As The Eagle Flies" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 39, no. 21. New York City, New York: Cash Box. October 15, 1977. p. 20. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
8. Eder, Bruce. "Legend - Poco: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
9. "Kim Bullard". Poco. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
10. Forest, John (September 29, 1983). "Soleri Magic Touches Stills' Concert". Albuquerque Journal. p. 19. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
11. "Poco Brings Country-Rock To PB Scott's". The Charlotte Observer. September 12, 1984. p. 18. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
12. Benarde, Scott (May 9, 1985). "Fun-Filled Poco Puts Emphasis On Just Music". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
13. King, Louise (October 6, 1986). "Harmonious Poco Shows That It Has Staying Power". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 16. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
14. "Poco: All Systems Go". Poughkeepsie Journal. July 23, 1987. p. 1C. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
15. Boehm, Mike (July 13, 1990). "Poco, Reunited After 20 Years, Can Thank Marx". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
16. "'60s band Poco is touring country this summer". The Tribune. August 31, 1990. p. 36. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
17. Hendricks, Matt (September 21, 2012). "'Call It Love' by Poco - Classic Hit or Miss". WFGR. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
18. Barsalou, David (July 28, 2019). "Tim Smith - The Poco Years". Not So Modern Drummer. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
19. "Poco". ClassicBands.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
20. Platt, Scott (October 2003). "Poco,"Running Horse" (Drifter's Church)". Ear Candy. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
21. "Taye Drums Announces Endorser George Lawrence Playing Drums For POCO On Tour In 2004 - 2005". PRWeb. November 6, 2004. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
22. "Poco - Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood 9/30/71". Good New Music. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
23. "Poco changes, the song remains the same (sort of)". Poet at the Edge. May 9, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
24. Leggett, Steve. "All Fired Up - Poco: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
25. "Eagles Bassist Timothy B. Schmit to Reunite with Poco at Paramount Theater in Denver". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
26. Nutt, Bill (February 26, 2016). "Poco country rockers at Newton Theatre Friday". Daily Record. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
27. "An Interview with Rusty Young of Poco". New Jersey Stage. October 10, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
28. "Tom Hampton - bio".
29. Hampton, Tom (May 14, 2021). "A month... a week... a day or a year..." Tom Hampton. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
30. Browne, David (15 April 2021). "Rusty Young, Poco Co-Founder and Pedal Steel Player, Dead at 75". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
31. Friskics-Warren, Bill (April 17, 2021). "Rusty Young, Country-Rock Pioneer, Is Dead at 75". New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
32. "Paul Cotton, Longtime Poco Guitarist/Vocalist, Dead at 78". Bestclassicbands.com. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
33. "Rusty Young". Blue Ėlan Records. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
34. "Poconut Reunion, Oct. 8, 2022". Wildwood Springs Lodge. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-03-12.

External links

• Poco official website

• Lists of members by band
• Poco members