Poco

For more than 50 years, their distinctive harmonies and stellar musicianship helped define the sound of country-rock. Still led by the band co-founder and multi-instrumentalist who wrote and sang their biggest hits, they are a dedicated unit of four formidable songwriters, vocalists, arrangers and players. And rather than rest on any of these considerable laurels, they instead hit stages coast-to-coast armed with the kind of classic songs and instrumental chops that puts performers half their age to shame.

In other words, Poco today is a band reborn

“Poco has a history unmatched by any band,” says co-founder Rusty Young. “We’ve always been formed by individually unique artists. It’s fate that the four of us came together, and it’s a process of evolution that we’ve become a better and better band.” Poco is Young (steel and acoustic guitars, dobro, mandolin, banjo, vocals), Jack Sundrud (bass, vocals), Michael Webb (keyboards, mandolin, accordion, guitars, vocals) and Rick Lonow (drums, vocals). “We’re so in tune with each other musically and personally,” Young says, “that I consider us to be one of the very best bands that Poco has ever had.”

“We all feel like we’ve landed on a combination of people and a situation that gives us a lot of satisfaction,” agrees longtime bassist Sundrud, whose pre-Poco stints included bass/vocals for Dickey Betts, Nicolette Larson, Vince Gill and Bobby Whitlock, songwriter for Kenny Rogers, Ty Herndon and The Judds, and co-founder of the celebrated progressive country band Great Plains. ““Poco has always blazed a trail musically,” he says. “The band was on the forefront of getting country and rock to work together organically. I’m proud to be part of Poco, and today we’re all focused on keeping Poco vibrant and new.”