The Steel Guitar Forum

We all know of Rusty's body of work with Poco through the years, but he did have some extra curricular activities.

He did children's music with Jack Sundrud as Session Cats, and would record tracks for just about anyone's projects via the internet.

As far as studio work goes, to name a few, he recorded psg and/or dobro with:
Joan Baez, Gladys Knight, Loggins and Messina, Rita Coolidge, America, Three Dog Night, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mustangs of the West, Restless Heart, American Flyer, Juice Newton, James Gang, etc.....

Here are a few examples:
James Gang There I Go Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt30eBN2Q2M

Three Dog Night Never Been to Spain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lr0hV0CSzo

Juice Newton & Silver Spur Roll On Truckers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63avEoTE3Qk

Rita Coolidge You Touched Me in the Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUJij0jPHZQ

American Flyer Drive Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgNRF3TZQWI



Then there was his work with John Cowan and Bill Lloyd as The Sky Kings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK528I9L1bc

Such a talent..... we are blessed to still have his music to enjoy.

R.I.P Rusty Young

A very short but effective solo on Compton and Batteau's "In California". Jim Messina was also on that record
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4ewdG_yVRQ&t=19s

English band Ace with "Does it hurt you?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yYKDuMAg38

Some of that stuff was GREAT.. Rusty unleashed- and let alone to rip... And "later in life" to boot when he was fronting and singing more than being "the steel guy"...
wonderful..... He seemed to be playing a BMI D10 keyless, and you know what?.... It sounded tonally the same as his ZB and his Sho Bud,, Tone indeed is in the hands.

WHY, for what reason did the Sky Kings not make it big???... Great players, great singing, hot songs and a front man with movie star good looks.... Yet they had to go begging at some sort of record company "showcase"???...

Is there no justice,??.. when a player of Rusty's stature has to tell everyone "I was in a band called Poco" during an interview.. In any case, this was great stuff that I did not know existed... bob

Bob Carlucci wrote:Some of that stuff was GREAT.. Rusty unleashed- and let alone to rip... And "later in life" to boot when he was fronting and singing more than being "the steel guy"...
wonderful..... He seemed to be playing a BMI D10 keyless, and you know what?.... It sounded tonally the same as his ZB and his Sho Bud,, Tone indeed is in the hands.

WHY, for what reason did the Sky Kings not make it big???... Great players, great singing, hot songs and a front man with movie star good looks.... Yet they had to go begging at some sort of record company "showcase"???...

Is there no justice,??.. when a player of Rusty's stature has to tell everyone "I was in a band called Poco" during an interview.. In any case, this was great stuff that I did not know existed... bob

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Long long time ago I realized common people just don’t understand the musical quality we musicians do have. We might as well sit on our own planet somewhere out in space. I’ve been a member of many very great bands that never got appreciated and some that did but I didn’t see the difference in musical quality.

Hundred yrs ago I was really hooked on dobro hearing Rusty play on ”Glad to be going” by Rick Roberts.
Check that out, it’s a magnificent song all together by this great composer Roberts.
https://youtu.be/hOxZPSaoGvw

Check out Rusty’s version of “Everybody’s Talking” on the Suite Steel album on YouTube.

Great post! Thanks, Mike.

Regarding why the Sky Kings didn’t get off the ground...it’s a long story, I suppose. But the short story is, look at what was going on in 1991. The market was saturated with country rockers, some of them equally great, and all of them already popular. The neo-trad movement was coming to a close. Everybody in the SK’s had day jobs in other pop bands. They probably thought, why not take the shot. And they could have gone on as an occasional live act if they wanted, but they all had lives to live, like everyone else.

Here is a live video with Rusty Young playing his steel with Vince Gill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN_2atq1JVI

Peter Leavenworth wrote:Check out Rusty’s version of “Everybody’s Talking” on the Suite Steel album on YouTube.

Did he play the jazz ride on that one? I seem to remember he had the credits but it sure sounded like Emmons.

Bill, to me, it sounds just enough not like Emmons to sound like Rusty doing his best to sound like Emmons. He played some jazzy sounding C6 stuff with Poco occasionally.

Here's another one with Vince. Rusty gets a little more exposure here. Let's Do Something... https://youtu.be/gNf23C8ZLns

Jason, I'm pretty sure it's Rusty singing harmonies with Vince, can't see anyone else in the band doing it, and he had a mic. Also, the first part of his solo is all thumb. Love me some Rusty Young! RIP, steel hero.