The Steel Guitar Forum

Rusty Young may be best known for his pedal steel innovations and showmanship in Poco, the quintessential country-rock band. Although Poco was a true rock band that just happened to have pedal steel and killer vocals, they could play country with the best of them. Rusty grew up on country, taught guitar by day, played in country bars at night, then stumbled into that magical opportunity to record with Buffalo Springfield. The rest is history.... Here are a few of my favorite Poco tunes showcasing Rusty's skills on dobro & pedal steel in the country mode.

Honky Tonk Downstairs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF-oIW1nEpY

What Ever Happened to Your Smile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG2356Dqcvw

What Am I Gonna Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUFKFCMsmj8

Bad Weather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soWQ6huD8oc

Lovin’ Arms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n392tCX ... OA&index=2

....and here are 2 more tunes from 1991 when he played with The Sky Kings/Four Wheel Drive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK528I9L1bc

Consequently,So Long.

Great stuff. I'm a young player but grew up in a household where Poco, Buffalo Springfield and the like were always on rotation. Also really like Gordon Huntley's steel playing on "Country Comfort" by Elton John. Very similar to Rusty's playing.

Here is one of my favorite versions of "Kind Woman". Jeff Garden was nice enough to tab it out for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwkiDUz ... ex=15&t=0s

Thanks for the post!

Jim - you're right about Consequently,So Long.... just about anything off the first album.

Nicholas - yes Mr. Huntley plays some tasty stuff there. Brings to mind B.J. Cole on "Tiny Dancer". What a cool instrument we have that can make such beautiful sounds!

I've never heard the Sky Kings. Thank you, Mike. John Cowan and Rusty together, wow.
Rusty plays great steel on the "Good Feeling To Know" record too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYy0saKWW_Q

He plays some tasty stuff on the Sky Kings records, too!

A great discovery for me. Sky Kings.

Chris, I have the Sky Kings CD, if you make it to Norwalk and I can bring it up and we can keep the hotel guests from sleeping.

Probably John B's fault! :0)

A local Portland guitar/fiddle hero Lex Browning recently joined Poco, and I'm told Rusty is playing Steel on upcoming shows.
There are pics of him playing a Lap Steel on a stand, and his Carter PSG, on the Facebook site.
Here is the official website:
http://www.pocoband.com/home

Hey Chris,
Good Feelin' to Know may be my favorite song on the planet. Take another listen for Rusty's "B3" throughout, then kicks in that gorgeous pedal steel sound at the 2nd verse.... shivers! I'm working on playing this (organ & steel) myself soon. Hope to post some audio soon if it's not too embarrassing.

Hey Pete,
Thanks for the heads-up on the current Poco. If Rusty gets out to California and plays pedal steel, I'll be there!

I think I am right in saying Poco came to the UK in the 70s for the first time. I heard them first in the Apolo Theatre in Glasgow, they were the warm up band for the Big Thing at the time, the band called "America". On they came and played the first 6 numbers on their set without stopping. You could see by their faces them thinking "what have we walked into here" as they glanced at each other. No whooping and hollering like the USA, just a dead silent crowd sitting back, arms folded, listening. When the band finally came to a halt to introduce themselves, the place erupted. From that moment on they could do no wrong. They completed their set and after several encores, left the stage. A short break (we were running late now) and on came the Headline Act, the crowd gave them one song before beginning to chant "Poco" to the extent "America" called Poco back onstage to be with them for a song or two before they resumed their set. The crown were having none of it, they would accept nothing but Poco, Management were called in and before long America vacated their Gig and left the stage to Poco, we had a wonderful night. I have no idea what happened afterwards but I bet Poco were dropped from the Tour.

Great Days.
JK.

What a great story!

James, I've seen them just a few days later and they were still with America.
http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/deliverin/poco1975.htm

Joachim Kettner wrote:James, I've seen them just a few days later and they were still with America.
http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/deliverin/poco1975.htm

Yep, they were. When I saw them in 75, Dan Peek had just left America while on the tour. When they did Horse With No Name, there was a vocal part obviously missing. Good thing Tim Schmidt was still with Poco, because he couldn’t stand it. He walked out on stage, grabbed a mic, and sang the part like he owned it. The crowd and the band loved it. Talk about a pro...

I think Poco was a perennial warmup act back then because they didn’t have the hits, but promoters knew their live shows kicked butt while still maintaining the “soft rock” atmosphere that drew fans of Seals & Croft and America type bands, who weren’t that great live.

I'm lovin' these stories. Keep 'em comin'!

My most enduring memory of that night was Rusty Young, stepping out from behind the Pedal Steel when Poco entered the final part of the set and got more Rocky, he had a Lap Steel hung round his neck, it had a slanted neck to enable stand up playing. Out there in the solo spotlight, driven on by the crowd, he, and they, went wild. The next day I was in the biggest Music shop in Glasgow looking for a Steel Guitar and bought the D8 Twin neck Guyatone you see in my Videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f8txnTMp8g

James Kerr.

James Kerr ... That instrument was what Rusty called The Bear!!!

I burned up three 8 tracks of Poco "deliverin" in the 70's when I was in college along with Joe Walsh what great music!

I saw Poco at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London - early-'70s sounds about right.

I had just acquired my first pedal steel and Rusty's playing inspired me so much! One minor disappointment (to me, anyway) was that, by this time, Jim Messina had been replaced by Paul Cotton ('en'?) The line-up that had dreamed up 'You'd Better Think Twice' - my all-time favourite track from the country-rock era - was no more.

I wonder if America were also at the gig I attended; I can't now remember.

Roger, I was too young at that time to understand the dynamics of rock bands and personal conflict (why did the Beatles break up? waah waah!). But after hearing Loggins & Messina’s first album, and a live radio broadcast of a Poco concert doing Railroad Days with their new guitarist, I got the feeling that Jim and Paul had just made excellent career choices.

Agreed, Fred, but Messina had such an exquisite touch on my favourite instrument (Telecaster) that he ticked ALL the boxes for me.

I think “Paul vs Jim” is the “Stones vs Beatles” for Poco fans 🤠

I remember I inhaled that "You'd better think twice" with all my heart by 1970.I think it was mainly the bass playing that had my curiosity. Loved their album "From the inside" 1971. Realized how great a Dobro can be used in "Glad to be going" by Rusty Young with Rick Roberts 1974.

The original Poco is the one for me...