Not The Byrds, Not Buffalo Springfield: The Band That Time Forgot Helped Invent Country Rock

A handful of bands that came to prominence in the late 1960s are credited with inventing and popularizing country rock. Along with the Byrds in their latter period under the direction of Gram Parsons, and Buffalo Springfield, which included Stephen Stills and Neil Young in its lineup, there's a group that wasn't as commercially successful but was no less creatively impactful, and that's Poco. Just as much as their predecessors and contemporaries, Poco tapped into the rich histories of country and folk and paired acoustic instrumentation, simple production, and lush harmonies with the heft and confidence of rock 'n' roll.

Buffalo Springfield had the best year of their career in 1966, but it's "Kind Woman," the final song from their final album, 1968's "Last Time Around," that was an early and foundational country rock document. It was written by band member Richie Furay, who started a band called Pogo with Buffalo Springfield bandmate Jim Messina in the late '60s. After Walt Kelly, cartoonist of the popular newspaper comic "Pogo," took legal action, the country rock group changed its name to Poco and set out on the road to influencing a distinct sub-genre and leading rock musicians to experiment with '70s country.

As Buffalo Springfield segued into Poco, Richie Furay and Jim Messina retained steel guitarist Rusty Young, who'd brought a wallop of authentic country spirit to "Kind Woman." He also convinced band leaders to bring in drummer George Grantham and bassist and vocalist Randy Meisner. None of Poco's early albums sold all that well; with an experimental sensibility that was too country for the rock mainstream and too rock for the country scene, it took the band years to build a following. 

Not until 1978's "Legend," Poco's 13th full-length release, did one make the Top 20 of the album chart or receive gold record certification. "Legend" launched Poco's first-ever Top 20 singles "Crazy Love" and "Heart of the Night," both of which are emblematic of the group's sound. By that point, the public was thoroughly acquainted with and enchanted by country rock thanks to other, bigger bands that bore the influence of Poco. Messina departed Poco to form the foundational yacht-rock act Loggins & Messina in 1971, while Meisner later joined the Eagles, as did replacement Poco musician Timothy B. Schmit.

While Poco has endured many lineup changes and hiatuses over the decades, they're still linked to other historical luminaries in country rock. Richie Furay created the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther and Chris Hillman of the Byrds while also bringing his distinct blend of folk, country, and rock to the world of Christian rock.