Pure Prairie League

Pure Prairie League sustained its reputation as a viable country-rock ensemble across the 1970s and early 1980s despite repeated lineup shifts, issuing ten albums altogether and scoring successes such as the tracks “Amie” and “Let Me Love You Tonight” through successive iterations of the group.

The ensemble took shape in Columbus, Ohio, during 1970 when singer/songwriter/guitarist Craig Fuller teamed with bass player Jim Lanham and drummer Tom McGrail; the trio drew the name from a women’s temperance organization depicted in the 1939 Errol Flynn picture Dodge City. The band cultivated a regional audience in Ohio by performing regularly around Cincinnati for roughly a year before securing a recording agreement with RCA Victor. McGrail had already departed by then, with Jim Caughlan stepping in, though Billy Hinds also handled drumming duties temporarily. After recruiting steel guitar player John David Call, the musicians entered the studio to cut their self-titled debut, which appeared in March 1972 beneath a cover illustration of the Western figure Luke created by noted American painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell and originally published on the front of The Saturday Evening Post in 1927. Luke subsequently adorned every album sleeve the band released, supplying a consistent visual identity.

Initial sales proved insufficient for chart placement, prompting the group to splinter. Lanham, Caughlan, and Call exited, leaving Fuller and Powell to recall Hinds, who in turn brought keyboard player Michael Connor aboard for the follow-up Bustin’ Out; Connor soon became a permanent member. Guitarist Mick Ronson, known for his association with David Bowie, contributed guitar and string arrangements during those sessions. Although later viewed as a country-rock classic, Bustin’ Out encountered sluggish sales after its September 1972 release, leading RCA to drop the act. The musicians nevertheless added bassist Michael Reilly, another Hinds acquaintance, and resumed performing throughout the Midwest. Fuller then faced legal complications stemming from his conscientious-objector application to evade conscription, resulting in a two-year hospital assignment; President Ford later granted him a pardon. This development compelled Fuller’s departure, after which Larry Goshorn joined and Call returned.

By late 1974 the band’s persistent touring yielded results when stations began airing “Amie,” a track from Bustin’ Out; RCA responded by issuing the song as a single, re-releasing the album, and restoring the group to its roster. Bustin’ Out finally appeared on the charts in February 1975, nearly two-and-a-half years after its original release, climbed into the Top 40, and ultimately earned gold certification. “Amie” entered the charts in March 1975 and reached the Top 40, even though the composition had been written and performed by the absent Fuller, who later emerged in 1976 with the band American Flyer. The remaining sextet of Call, Connor, Goshorn, Hinds, Powell, and Reilly proceeded to record the third album, Two Lane Highway, enlisting country artists Chet Atkins, Emmylou Harris, and Johnny Gimble as guests; the set arrived in spring 1975. Its title track registered a modest chart entry while the album itself reached the Top 40.

The fourth album, If the Shoe Fits, surfaced in early 1976 and likewise cracked the Top 40, generating a minor country-chart placement with a cover of Buddy Holly’s hit “That’ll Be the Day.” Dance followed in autumn 1976; it sold modestly, peaking only in the pop-chart Top 100, yet became the band’s first release to appear on the country charts. Comparable commercial results greeted the double-LP live set Live!! Takin’ the Stage, issued in summer 1977. Following that release, Call departed and Goshorn’s brother Tim took his place. Just Fly, the seventh album, arrived in spring 1978 and achieved similarly modest sales.

The band then fragmented once more. The Goshorn brothers left to form their own project, and Powell withdrew to devote time to family, removing the final original member. The remaining trio of Hinds, Connor, and Reilly retained the group name but required a new frontman. After lengthy auditions they recruited Vince Gill, from Norman, Oklahoma, as lead singer and guitarist, later adding reeds player Patrick Bolin. This quintet delivered the eighth album, Can’t Hold Back, in spring 1979. Sales remained disappointing, prompting a move from RCA to Casablanca Records, an imprint primarily associated with disco. In early 1980 Bolin yielded to singer/guitarist Jeff Wilson, and the band recorded its Casablanca debut, Firin’ Up. The single “Let Me Love You Tonight” preceded the album, climbed to the Top Ten, and propelled Firin’ Up into the pop-chart Top 40. A follow-up single, “I’m Almost Ready,” reached the Top 40, while a third, “I Can’t Stop the Feelin’,” also charted.

Pure Prairie League issued its tenth album, Something in the Night, in spring 1981; the advance single “Still Right Here in My Heart” entered the Top 40, followed by the charting track “You’re Mine Tonight.” The album performed less strongly than its predecessor yet still reached the Top 100. National visibility soon faded after Casablanca declared bankruptcy and Gill exited to pursue a solo country career. Songwriter Gary Burr assumed lead-vocal duties from 1982 until 1985, when Fuller rejoined; he stayed until 1987 before joining the re-formed Little Feat in place of the late Lowell George. Pure Prairie League then disbanded.

In 1998 Reilly and Fuller revived the band with a lineup that also featured Connor, Rick Schell, Fats Kaplan, and Curtis Wright. This configuration began recording a new album in 2002 before halting the sessions. Connor died in autumn 2004 after a prolonged battle with cancer. With Fuller, Reilly, Schell, Wright, and Kaplan in place, the group released All in Good Time in autumn 2005 on the small Drifter’s Church label. The ensemble continued performing in shifting configurations until settling in 2012 on the lineup of John David Call, Mike Reilly, Scott Thompson, and Donnie Lee Clark.