Poco: A Good Feeling To Know Them Quiz

Answer: Pogo

Originally named after the comic strip character "Pogo", the "g" became a "c" when "Pogo" creator Walt Kelly refused to give permission for the use of the name, going so far as to file a lawsuit against the band! Stone Canyon Band was Rickey Nelson's back-up band that Randy Meisner joined after leaving Poco ["Garden Party"], Stone Ponies was Linda Ronstadt's back-up band ["Different Drum"], and Little Bits is a loose Spanish-to-English translation of poco!

Answer: Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham, Randy Meisner

Kenny Loggins and Don Henley were never members of Poco! Furay, Stills, Young, Martin, and Palmer were the original Buffalo Springfield line up.

Answer: Buffalo Springfield

Jim Messina was a 20-year-old sound engineer at a recording studio where Richie was trying to put together the last Buffalo Springfield album [Neil Young and Steve Stills had already left the band but the entity "Buffalo Springfield" still owed Atlantic Records one album], and bassist Bruce Palmer was being deported back to Canada, so Furay pressed guitarist Messina into service as a bassist. Rusty Young was brought in for the last album as a steel guitar player. Once the obligation was completed [the album "Last Time Around"] Richie, the last of the original "Springfields", officially ended Buffalo Springfield and, with Messina [on guitar] and Young in tow, recruited drummer George Grantham [Young's band-mate in the Boenzee Cryque] and Young's high-school buddy/bassist Randy Meisner and formed Poco.

Answer: True

Randy quit or was fired from the band [depending on the version told] over creative differences during the recording of their first album, "Pickin' Up The Pieces" [1969], and subsequently joined Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band! All of Randy's bass parts were kept but his vocals were edited out and re-recorded by drummer George Grantham; on the album cover, his picture in the group portrait was replaced with a picture of a dog! In 1970, prior to their second album, "Poco", Timothy B. Schmit, who finished second to Meisner in the Poco bassist auditions, was invited to join Poco.

In 1977, Schmit replaced Meisner in Eagles!

Answer: False

Neil Young is from Toronto, Canada, and Rusty Young is from Nebraska, USA. During the last year of Buffalo Springfield and the early years of Poco, the publicity rumors had them falsely related as half-brothers! Rusty Young played pedal steel guitar on the last Buffalo Springfield album "Last Time Around".

Answer: Graham Nash

Graham Nash was under contract to Epic as part of the British band The Hollies, with whom he had split. By getting Nash's contract assigned to Atlantic, Ahmet Ertegun cleared the final barrier that was blocking the recording debut of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

Answer: Illinois Speed Press

Paul had recorded two albums with the Illinois Speed Press, but the band had broken up. Messina was quitting Poco over those damned creative differences but agreed to help find his replacement first. Bassist Peter Cetera of the band Chicago was taking pedal-steel guitar lessons from Rusty Young and recommended Paul, whom he knew from the Chicago music scene. Cotton started touring with Poco, rooming with Messina and learning his parts, as well as contributing new songs. That tour was recorded and became the album "DeLIVErin'"[1970]! Jim Messina left after that tour and became partners with Kenny Loggins, first as a producer and then a performer [Loggins and Messina, of course]!

Answer: Richie Furay

After the single "A Good Feelin' To Know" [1972] failed to chart or even break into the top 100 and the ensuing album, same title, failed to get much reaction, and watching his ex-bandmates Steve Stills, Neil Young, Jim Messina, and Randy Meisner enjoy great success with their projects, Richie Furay agreed to one more album, "Crazy Eyes" [1973]! Even though it reached number 38 on the charts, he left Poco to form an unsuccessful "super-group", The Souther/Hillman/Furay Band, with singer/songwriter John David Souther and ex-Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers/Manassas bassist/singer/songwriter Chris Hillman.

Answer: Leslie speaker

Usually associated with the Hammond B3 organ, such as that played by Gregg Allman, the Leslie speaker has a spinning horn that changes tones and distorts the sound of the instrument depending on the speed at which it's allowed to spin. Rusty was the first to combine the pedal steel guitar and the Leslie...one of the best examples of its use is on "Nobody's Fool/El Tonto De Nadie, Regressa" from the album "Poco" [1970].

Answer: "Crazy Love"

From the album "Legend" [1978]; Rusty Young wrote it and sang lead vocals.

Answer: Gram Parsons

Released in 1973, the album "Crazy Eyes" charted at number 38 and also contained Paul Cotton's lead vocal cover of the Gram Parsons' song "Brass Buttons"...ironically, Gram Parsons died about a month after its release!

Answer: "Indian Summer"

Released in 1977, "Indian Summer" charted at number 57...and Schmit left to replace Randy Meisner with The Eagles! Drummer/vocalist George Grantham also left at this time; they were replaced by Charlie Harrison, Steve Chapman, and Kim Bullard. The next album, "Legend" [1978], featured the new line up and was a hit, charting at number 14 and yielding two top 20 hits ..."Crazy Love" and "Heart Of The Night".

Answer: the Troubadour

November, 1969, Los Angeles, California...among those in attendance were Rick Nelson and Paul Cotton!

Answer: "DeLIVErin'" and "Poco Live"

"DeLIVErin'" [1971] & "Poco Live" [1976]! Poco's "Cantamos"[1974] was not a live album! "Bring It Back Alive" [1978], and "Hittin' The Road" [1993] are live albums by The Outlaws, and "One More From The Road"[1976] and "Southern By The Grace Of God" [1988] are live albums by Lynyrd Skynyrd!

Answer: "Good Feelin' To Know"

I have never understood how this song was so overlooked upon its release in 1972, never cracking the top 100! It has a great hook, soaring vocals, it's up-tempo with a pop feel, and it's one of the great feel-good songs of all time...you can't help but want to smile and sing along whenever it's playing! Calling it a cult-classic seems a little bit of a put-down but then again, I guess Poco was a cult band!