Poco in the beginning in 1968 was originally called Pogo. The originator of the Pogo comic strip threatened to sue the band if they didn’t change the name, so they changed one letter and it became Poco. Randy Meisner only stayed with the band for a few months before moving on to Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band. Randy left Poco just prior to the release of the first album, Pickin’ Up the Pieces. That album was released May 19, 1969. The original members of Randy Meisner, Rusty Young, Richie Furay, Jim Messina, and George Grantham then reunited in 1989 for the Legacy tour and album.
Poco (very briefly called both Pogo and R.F.D. back then) first appeared at the Troubadour more than 50 years ago in 1968. Twenty-one years later the orginal members of Poco reunited for the Legacy album and tour. Richie Furay’s 50th anniversary celebration at the Troubadour was Nov. 16. 2018.
Poco audios and videos on this page:
- John Beaudin with Rock History Music interviews Jim Messina & Randy about the forming of Poco
- John Einarson podcast “When It All Began”
- Colorado Music Experience podcast with Rusty Young
- Colorado Music Experience Poco bio
- Randy and Rusty at Musso & Frank Grill
- Jim Messina interview with Kevin Curtin (Jim Messina tells a story of he and Randy at a Halloween party.)
Cindy Dakin, Poco fan club president, had the band members fill out questionnaires back in 1969. Jim Messina was the only one who did not fill one out. Those questionnaires are below.
John Beaudin interviews Jim Messina about the forming of Poco back in 1968. A short segment from one of Randy’s interviews with John about him being excluded from the mixing of the first Poco album is included.
johneinarson.ca
John Einarson is a music historian and an award-winning author of music biographies. He wrote the book “Desperados: Take It Easy” and many other books. He also hosts podcasts on his website.
A recent Poco podcast called “Off the Record 6: When It All Began” is on his podcasts page. There are songs from the Poco albums included in this podcast, too. He has four sections of podcasts on that page, so there may be others you would want to listen to.
LA Times (Los Angeles, CA) – Nov. 13, 1968
Valley News (Van Nuys, CA) – Nov. 29, 1968
LA Free Press (Los Angeles, CA) – Nov. 22, 1968
The Free Press is the newspaper Randy sold on street corners when he first arrived in Los Angeles.
“Richie Furay shares lead vocals with Randy Meisner, bassist for the group (Furay plays rhythm guitar, as does Messina). Rounding out Pogo is George Grantham on drums.“
LA Times (Los Angeles, CA) – Nov. 22, 1968
“Pogo is a group of five young, clean, cute men-boys who smile and play the most amazingly tight country rock and sing in beautiful harmonies.”
Record World – Nov. 30, 1968
Pogo/Poco in the beginning in 1968
The Troubadour – Nov. 1968
Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, George Grantham (on drums), Richie Furay, and Rusty Young
LA Free Press (Los Angeles, CA) – Dec. 5, 1968
LA Times (Los Angeles, CA) – Dec. 6, 1968
Record World magazine – Dec. 7, 1968
San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, CA) – Dec. 7, 1968
Concert poster designed by Wes Wilson
for the December 26-29, 1968 performance at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West
This design supposedly represents the conflict between Bill Graham and Wilson and features Wilson’s characterization of Bill Graham, “rich and smug like an antique Roman merchant”.
Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA) – Dec. 22, 1968
San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, CA) – Dec. 22, 1968
Dec. 21, 1968
full-page ad in the LA Free Press (Los Angeles, CA) – Dec. 28-Jan 3, 1969
Daily Trojan (Univ. of Southern California student newspaper) – Jan. 30, 1969
Cash Box – Feb. 1, 1969
“My friend, Miles Thomas, was the one who got me into big-time rock ‘n’ roll, says Young, who recently completed a memoir.”
“So because of Miles going out to try and make it big in 1967, we had Poco and we had the Eagles – just from that one little thing, this one little local band that nobody really knew about in L.A.”
The Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ) – Nov. 9, 2007
Poco – the beginning in 1968
An excerpt from an interview with Jim Messina (Sittin’ In Once Again with Loggins and Messina):
The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD) – Sept. 17, 2009
The “old roadie” was Miles Thomas.
Jim Messina is evidently just labeling Randy as “Ricky Nelson’s bass player” because Randy was recognized and known for that. To clarify, Randy was in The Poor, then Poco, and then the Stone Canyon Band.
Pogo/Poco in the beginning in 1968
Billboard magazine – Dec. 28, 1968
Poco Publicity Photos
Front: Randy Meisner and Rusty Young
Back: Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
Front: Randy Meisner and Rusty Young
Back: Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
Clockwise from top: George Grantham, Jim Messina, Rusty Young, Richie Furay, and Randy Meisner (in front)
Clockwise from left: Jim Messina, George Grantham, Rusty Young, Richie Furay, and Randy Meisner (kneeling)
Kneeling: Jim Messina and Rusty Young
Standing: Richie Furay, George Grantham, Randy Meisner
Kneeling: Jim Messina and Rusty Young
Standing: Richie Furay, George Grantham, Randy Meisner
This photo was taken in front of Doheny Fountain on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills. The fountain was also used in a photo taken by Eve Babitz with the Eagles, Jackson Browne, JD Souther, and Ned Doheny sitting in front of it just a few years later.
Clockwise from top: Randy Meisner, George Grantham, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, and Rusty Young
Rusty Young, George Grantham, Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, and Richie Furay
Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, George Grantham, Richie Furay, and Rusty Young
Randy Meisner, Rusty Young, Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
Randy Meisner, Rusty Young, Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
Randy Meisner, Rusty Young, Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
Randy Meisner, Rusty Young, Jim Messina, George Grantham, and Richie Furay
From the Colorado Music Experience website:
Audio of a “Colorado Music Experience” podcast with Rusty Young. Rusty talks about his musical career including starting the Poco band and the band reunion in 1989. He has some interesting and entertaining stories to tell.
A short “Colorado Music Experience” video bio of Poco explaining how the band started and the 1989 reunion
Pogo/Poco was also called R.F.D. for a very short time. The name was ultimately changed to Poco after the creator of the Pogo comic strip threatened to sue them for using the Pogo name.
Record World – Dec. 1, 1968
Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH) – Dec. 7, 1968
Debut of R.F.D. at the Troubadour
From a blog called “A Rock n’ Roll Historian” – Oct 30 2011
Excerpts from the book “Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock” – pgs. 126-128
“Anyway Bye Bye” is on Randy’s “One More Song” album, which is his 2nd solo album.
Excerpts from the book “Hotel California” – pgs. 69-70
Daily Trojan (Univ. of Southern California student newspaper) – Nov. 1, 1968
Stage photo below
Bovard Auditorium Univ. of Southern California – Nov. 2, 1968
Jim Messina, George Grantham (on drums), and Randy Meisner
Cindy Dakin, photographer
Randy at the Troubadour with Poco
Cindy Dakin, photographer
Beverly Hills High School – Jan. 25, 1969
Handbill or poster advertising Beverly Hills concert of Three Dog Night and Pogo
Beverly Hills H.S. 1969 Yearbook
with photo of Richie Furay
Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter (Fond Du Lac, WI) – Apr. 11, 1969
The four original members of Pogo/Poco (and later Timothy) were asked to fill out questionnaires by the fan club president, Cindy Dakin. Cindy said Jim Messina never did complete his.
Randy Meisner
Questionnaires for Rusty Young, Richie Furay, George Grantham, and Timothy B. Schmit
(Click each questionnaire to enlarge)
From the Poco / A Good Feelin’ To Know Facebook page
These two photos of Randy were taken by the Poco fan club president, Cindy Dakin, at Randy’s house in 1969.
Randy Meisner and Rusty Young at Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood – May 30, 2017
Randy and Rusty in a booth at Musso & Frank Grill
Rusty brought this Poco-autographed guitar to their dinner meeting so that Randy could add his autograph to it.
While they are at Musso & Frank, Rusty is singing “My Friend”, which was the new song he had written.
Hello Diana. Good to see you again.
thanks Diane, welcome back