Song:Crazy Love
Album:The Essential Poco
Poco was one of several groups that emerged from the ashes of the popular 60s group Buffalo Springfield. Poco has been mainly an album and live concert act. But they have scored a couple of hit singles including Crazy Love in 1978. When Buffalo Springfield split up in 1968, singer and guitarist Richie Furay, guitarist Jim Messina and pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young formed Pogo with drummer George Grantham and bassist Randy Meisner. For copyright reasons, the group name was changed to Poco. They signed with Atlantic Records but they were traded to Epic for Graham Nash. Their early albums were highly praised but they didn't sell. Conflict with Furay led to Meisner being replaced by Timothy B. Schmit and then Messina left for Paul Cotton of Illinois Speed Press. Meisner went on to be a founding member of Eagles. Messina took a house producer job at Columbia which led to Loggins & Messina. As Poco's albums continued to flounder, Furay got worse and he left in 1973 to form Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Then Poco left Epic for ABC for the 1975 album Head Over Heels. This was their most successful album to date and the single Keep On Tryin' reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then in 1977, Schmit left to join Eagles. Poco went on hiatus and Young and Cotton recorded as The Cotton-Young Band. ABC picked up the album. But they wanted it released as Poco. Cotton and Young agreed to that and they brought in bassist Charlie Harrison and drummer Steve Chapman. Grantham hadn't left Poco. He was paid to leave and he joined Ricky Skaggs' band. Harrison and Chapman played together for Leo Sayer and Al Stewart. So for the 1978 album Legend, Poco was more of a pop band. The album was certified Gold and Crazy Love reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written and and sung by Young. Remember this was supposed to be The Cotton-Young Band before ABC had them change it. They had one other top 20 hit. And then Poco returned to obscurity. They left MCA for Atlantic in 1982 and it looked like they were going to disband. But then the original members of Poco reformed. They signed with RCA and scored their other top 20 hit with Call It Love in 1989. That was their commercial last gasp. This Sony Legacy budget comp covers all Poco's hits on all the different labels. The late 80s Poco reunion ended in 1992. Cotton and Young continued to lead Poco until Young announced his retirement in 2013. Poco doesn't tour full time anymore but they play occasional gigs. Imagine if Cotton and Young had not agreed to adopting the Poco name in 1978. Here's the video for Crazy Love by Poco.
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