Richie Furay
b. 9 May 1944, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA. Originally a member of the Au Go-Go Singers, Furay first came to prominence as the crystal clear vocalist acting as a foil between the voices of Stephen Stills’ soulful blues and Neil Young's Canadian folk rock in the seminal Buffalo Springfield during 1967. The short-lived Springfield fragmented and out of the ashes came Poco, one of the leaders of the country-rock movement. Much of Furay's best work appeared during his time as leader of Poco, with notably impressive contributions to A GOOD FEELIN’ TO KNOW and CRAZY EYES. His subsequent departure was mainly out of frustration of seeing Poco unable to break out of the second division, while bands like the Eagles reaped massive fame and fortune by mining the same seam. A lucrative contract with David Geffen saw the formation of the Souther Hillman Furay Band in 1974. Touted as a country rock supergroup, they were unable to live up to expectations and after two average albums each member resumed their respective solo careers with varying degrees of success. Furay's solo debut, I'VE GOT A REASON, was a credible but laid-back album. Billed as the Richie Furay Band the record was an autobiographical journey with Look At The Sun and the title track as the strongest songs. A new line-up supported him on DANCE A LITTLE LIGHT, a lesser album marred by lethargy. I STILL HAVE DREAMS however, was a marked improvement, benefiting from the seasoned talents of musicians such as Dan Dugmore, Leland Sklar, Craig Doegre and the steady drumming of Russell Kunkel. Further vocal enhancements were added by J.D Souther, Timothy B. Schmit, Randy Meisner and Craig Fuller. Ironically the two stand-out songs were written by band member Billy Batstone, who contributed the title track and the tear-jerking ballad I Was A Fool. Furay then began to devote his life to the church. The content of SATISFIEDclearly showed this direction. He retired for many years appearing on a latter-day Poco album, and adding the occasional vocal backing to other albums. In 1990, now as a full-time pastor in Colorado, he joined with his original Poco colleagues for the excellent reunion album LEGACY. Furay's shining voice was once again leading the only band he ever sounded in total control with.