Richie Furay - vocals, guitar; Billy Batstone - bass; John Mehler - drums; Gabriel Katona - keyboards; Charlie Crews - guitar
Richie Furay has been called "a founding father of country rock," and that title is by no means an exaggeration. As a member of Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills and Neil Young, Furay was instrumental in creating the earliest examples of the country/rock blend (along with a handful of others such as the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers). There is no doubt that Furay's post-Springfield band, Poco, was a huge influence on the Eagles, and that group even grabbed Poco's bassist, Timothy B Schmidt, shortly after Furay left.
This show is one of several recorded over a two-night stand at New York's legendary Bottom Line club. Originally recorded for broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, this came after Furay had taken a year off to re-tool his music and his career. During that time, he became a Born Again Christian, and the new music reflected that philosophy, although in a very subtle way.
For Furay, who had seen substantial success with Poco, and later with Chris Hillman and JD Souther, had to readjust to opening band status and smaller venues. He provides a warm and intimate performance on both nights that included newer solo material, as well as classics from his Poco and Springfield days. His version of the Poco classic "Kind Woman" is particularly strong, and the newer material such as "Lets Dance Tonight" shows a more AOR-pop oriented focus. Not long after Furay did this tour, he concentrated on becoming an ordained minister. Today, he maintains his religious commitment while still performing both his spiritual and classic secular material.