Pure Prairie League, Poco

[Mike Bacciarini]

That brings to mind a weird thought.... what if when Jim Messina left, instead of Paul Cotton, they got Joe Walsh? Don't think that would have ever happened, but I'm trying to picture Rusty & Joe trading riffs. Probably just as well that it was Paul.

Dennis, I used to have a Frontman 25 and thought it was a nice small inexpensive amp. How do you like yours?

[Fred Treece]

It might not have been that weird at all, Mike. Richie and Joe were both Ohioans and obviously were aware of each other by that time, having both achieved some degree of success. In 1972 (long after the Messina/Cotton trade) they both appeared on Cleveland area songwriter Michael Stanley’s debut album, and then again on the follow-up. Talent-wise, I think Joe and Paul were even. Both excellent singers and guitarists. Maybe it was the slightly more country style songwriting that made Cotton the more logical choice, but it was more likely the fact that Joe Walsh was making a pretty good name for himself at the time and might have had contractual obligations. Paul was bandless in 1970 and probably jumped at the opportunity to team up with Poco.

I would love to have seen this reunion, in whatever form it took. You guys are lucky!

Did you know that Rusty and Paul’s birth names are the same? Their first name is Norman. Only a Total Poconut would know that.🥥🤪

[Jeff Garden]

My cousin and I got into a spirited discussion over beverages recently on the "incestuous" world of country rock and who played with who. Here's the chart we came up with of musicians who played with more than one group during the period. PPL didn't feature in our chart because to my knowledge Craig Fuller, John David Call, and Vince Gill didn't play with other country rock bands back in the day. Also Rusty Young and Paul Cotton were only members of Poco on the bands that wound up on our chart.

[Jim Cohen]

My only quibble is that Joe Walsh came to the Eagles from Barnstorm (his band after the James Gang) and it's important to note this because of this:

After the James Gang broke up in 1972, he formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale, a college friend from Ohio, and Kenny Passarelli, a bassist from Colorado, where Walsh had moved after leaving Ohio. While the band stayed together for three albums over three years, its works were marketed as Walsh solo projects. The last Barnstorm album, 1974's So What contained significant guest contributions from several members of the Eagles, a group that had recently hired Walsh's producer, Bill Szymczyk.

At Szymczyk's suggestion, Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975 as the band's guitarist and keyboardist following the departure of their founding member Bernie Leadon

[Dennis Brion]

Hey Mike, love my 25R it's my nighttime practice amp with headphones it's perfect sound. Otherwise i run my laptop thru it and my steel thru the Peavy let's me split the sound for practicing alone!

[Mike Bacciarini]

what if when Jim Messina left, instead of Paul Cotton, they got Joe Walsh? Don't think that would have ever happened,

Fred, you're right about Paul, unlike Joe, being adrift at the time, and with Peter Cetera's recommendation... Jimmy found his replacement. Truly, if they had held auditions, it would have been a tough call technically, but they may still have preferred Paul as a bit more mellow? Anyway, Joe was busy.

Jeff, love the chart you guys came up with. Seems like I saw something like that, (looking like a tree?), but it was of a greater scope. Could be another branch off to the right for the SHF Band (with JD being a sort of 'honorary' Eagle)

[Craig Stock]

There was a foldout book called rock and roll family trees or something like that. It had the one for country rock, there's probably a picture of it from an older SGF thread somewhere.

[Dennis Brion]

I addition POCO would not have been able to afford hotel repair bills with Joe Walsh in the band, he was a wild man. Lived in my hometown before he got started on the big time!

[Barry Barnes]

John lives about 15 miles away. We still talk frequently. He came to the house yesterday and brought his steel of course. His copedant is Jimmy Day but I play Emmons. He still has patience to teach me stuff. What an incredible guy and friend. Just got off the phone with him over an hour long. He is so witty. He said we're over the hill and hitting rocks on the other side...LOL. He also played in my band "Loose Pockets" between 2005 and 2013 every Tuesday night at The Dock on Water. So many memories. Friends since 1975. I'm blessed with friends like JD.