Biography
A trailblazer in country rock's development, the guitarist, singer, and composer Richie Furay helped establish both Buffalo Springfield and Poco as foundational acts in that style. He further participated in the country-rock supergroup the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, consistently displaying his warm, graceful vocals, his solid guitar playing, and the grounded, relatable feelings in his compositions across every endeavor. Beyond his roles as collaborator and supporting musician, Furay issued numerous solo recordings that began with 1976's I've Got a Reason; 1978's Dance a Little Light and 2005's I Am Sure showcased his assured command of country, folk, and rock idioms along with his profound Christian convictions, while 2022's In the Country found him applying his distinctive touch to a selection of well-known country numbers.
Paul Richard Furay entered the world in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on May 9, 1944. He mastered the guitar and, during adolescence, played in a hometown ensemble known as the Barons. Following high school graduation, he attended Oberlin College and sang with a student choral ensemble whenever classes permitted. The choir's engagements brought them to New York City, where Furay immersed himself in the vibrant folk circuit. While performing at folk clubs in Greenwich Village, producer and songwriter Ed E. Miller recruited him for a Broadway production centered on folk traditions. Furay appeared in Miller's America Sings, yet the production shuttered after only fourteen days. Seeking to extract value from the short-lived venture, Miller assembled nine cast members into a commercial folk act he named the Au-Go-Go Singers. The ensemble endured solely to release an album in 1964 before dissolving, though one of Furay's fellow members was the Texas-born singer Stephen Stills, with whom he formed a close bond. Furay departed the Singers prior to their transformation into the Company; during a performance in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, that group shared a bill with the Squires, whose guitarist and songwriter was Neil Young. After Stills moved to Los Angeles and Young followed to California, the pair resolved to start a band. Recalling his skilled acquaintance from Greenwich Village, Stills asked Furay to complete the Buffalo Springfield lineup. The group debuted in 1966, and in March 1967 they achieved a Top Ten single via Stills' composition "For What It's Worth."
Though Buffalo Springfield proved both popular and influential, internal instability led to their 1968 dissolution; the closing cut on their third and final album, Last Time Around, was Furay's "Kind Woman," written for his girlfriend and eventual wife. Immediately thereafter, Furay and guitarist Jim Messina—who had contributed studio work to Buffalo Springfield—assembled a fresh ensemble that included pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young, bassist Randy Meisner, and drummer George Grantham. Naming the unit Poco, they performed live for the first time in November 1968. Epic Records contracted the band, and their initial album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, reached stores in May 1969. Poco attained modest commercial traction, and Furay remained through five additional releases—Poco (1970), Deliverin' (1971), From the Inside (1971), A Good Feelin' to Know (1972), and Crazy Eyes (1973)—before exiting. His subsequent undertaking arose when David Geffen proposed he join a country-rock supergroup alongside Chris Hillman (ex-Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers) and J.D. Souther (whose songs had succeeded for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles). The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band delivered their self-titled debut on Asylum Records in 1974; Furay's "Fallin' In Love" became a hit single, and the album attained gold status. A follow-up, Trouble in Paradise, appeared in 1975, yet its title proved apt as neither sales nor reviews matched the first effort, and mounting internal friction prompted their breakup.
Furay's choice to depart the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band stemmed partly from a recent spiritual transformation. The relentless touring schedule strained his marriage, prompting conversations about Christian faith with pedal steel guitarist Al Perkins, who performed and recorded with the group. Furay embraced Christianity wholeheartedly and relocated from Los Angeles to Boulder, CO. His debut solo effort, 1976's I've Got a Reason, contained faith-inspired material, as did the succeeding pair of albums, 1978's Dance a Little Light and 1979's I Still Have Dreams. Asylum Records handled his first three solo projects; after the label grew dissatisfied with sales, he signed with the Christian imprint Myrrh, which reissued I've Got a Reason featuring revised artwork in 1981 and followed with the new collection Seasons of Change in 1982. Disheartened by career momentum and desiring greater focus on family and faith, Furay withdrew from music to serve as pastor at Calvary Chapel in Broomfield, CO.
He continued performing at church gatherings and community functions but remained largely absent from wider attention until 1989, when he reunited with Poco for Legacy, an album that reassembled the original members. Furay joined the ensuing tour, and the release yielded two successful singles, "Call It Love" and "Nothin' to Hide." Although the reunion proved singular, it rekindled his performance interest, leading to the 1997 Christian album In My Father's House. The 2005 worship recording I Am Sure featured contributions from former Poco colleagues Paul Cotton, Jim Messina, and Rusty Young, plus Chris Hillman of the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. The 2006 country-rock collection The Heartbeat of Love likewise incorporated several longtime associates, including Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Timothy B. Schmit, and Kenny Loggins.
Furay collaborated with Neil Young and Stephen Stills on a Buffalo Springfield reunion tour in 2011. Young withdrew before any new album could be completed, yet several songs Furay composed anticipating a Springfield project surfaced on 2015's Hand in Hand, which also included a fresh version of "Kind Woman" with backing vocals from Neil Young and Kenny Loggins. On November 16, 2018, Furay and his ensemble staged a special Troubadour concert in Los Angeles—Poco's original venue—to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the live album Deliverin'. The performance was captured, and the resulting 2021 two-CD set Return to the Troubadour allowed listeners beyond California to experience it. Furay partnered with BMG Rights Management for 2022's In the Country, covering twelve favored country tracks, among them selections popularized by Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Alabama, John Denver, and Buddy & Julie Miller.
Paul Richard Furay entered the world in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on May 9, 1944. He mastered the guitar and, during adolescence, played in a hometown ensemble known as the Barons. Following high school graduation, he attended Oberlin College and sang with a student choral ensemble whenever classes permitted. The choir's engagements brought them to New York City, where Furay immersed himself in the vibrant folk circuit. While performing at folk clubs in Greenwich Village, producer and songwriter Ed E. Miller recruited him for a Broadway production centered on folk traditions. Furay appeared in Miller's America Sings, yet the production shuttered after only fourteen days. Seeking to extract value from the short-lived venture, Miller assembled nine cast members into a commercial folk act he named the Au-Go-Go Singers. The ensemble endured solely to release an album in 1964 before dissolving, though one of Furay's fellow members was the Texas-born singer Stephen Stills, with whom he formed a close bond. Furay departed the Singers prior to their transformation into the Company; during a performance in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, that group shared a bill with the Squires, whose guitarist and songwriter was Neil Young. After Stills moved to Los Angeles and Young followed to California, the pair resolved to start a band. Recalling his skilled acquaintance from Greenwich Village, Stills asked Furay to complete the Buffalo Springfield lineup. The group debuted in 1966, and in March 1967 they achieved a Top Ten single via Stills' composition "For What It's Worth."
Though Buffalo Springfield proved both popular and influential, internal instability led to their 1968 dissolution; the closing cut on their third and final album, Last Time Around, was Furay's "Kind Woman," written for his girlfriend and eventual wife. Immediately thereafter, Furay and guitarist Jim Messina—who had contributed studio work to Buffalo Springfield—assembled a fresh ensemble that included pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young, bassist Randy Meisner, and drummer George Grantham. Naming the unit Poco, they performed live for the first time in November 1968. Epic Records contracted the band, and their initial album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, reached stores in May 1969. Poco attained modest commercial traction, and Furay remained through five additional releases—Poco (1970), Deliverin' (1971), From the Inside (1971), A Good Feelin' to Know (1972), and Crazy Eyes (1973)—before exiting. His subsequent undertaking arose when David Geffen proposed he join a country-rock supergroup alongside Chris Hillman (ex-Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers) and J.D. Souther (whose songs had succeeded for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles). The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band delivered their self-titled debut on Asylum Records in 1974; Furay's "Fallin' In Love" became a hit single, and the album attained gold status. A follow-up, Trouble in Paradise, appeared in 1975, yet its title proved apt as neither sales nor reviews matched the first effort, and mounting internal friction prompted their breakup.
Furay's choice to depart the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band stemmed partly from a recent spiritual transformation. The relentless touring schedule strained his marriage, prompting conversations about Christian faith with pedal steel guitarist Al Perkins, who performed and recorded with the group. Furay embraced Christianity wholeheartedly and relocated from Los Angeles to Boulder, CO. His debut solo effort, 1976's I've Got a Reason, contained faith-inspired material, as did the succeeding pair of albums, 1978's Dance a Little Light and 1979's I Still Have Dreams. Asylum Records handled his first three solo projects; after the label grew dissatisfied with sales, he signed with the Christian imprint Myrrh, which reissued I've Got a Reason featuring revised artwork in 1981 and followed with the new collection Seasons of Change in 1982. Disheartened by career momentum and desiring greater focus on family and faith, Furay withdrew from music to serve as pastor at Calvary Chapel in Broomfield, CO.
He continued performing at church gatherings and community functions but remained largely absent from wider attention until 1989, when he reunited with Poco for Legacy, an album that reassembled the original members. Furay joined the ensuing tour, and the release yielded two successful singles, "Call It Love" and "Nothin' to Hide." Although the reunion proved singular, it rekindled his performance interest, leading to the 1997 Christian album In My Father's House. The 2005 worship recording I Am Sure featured contributions from former Poco colleagues Paul Cotton, Jim Messina, and Rusty Young, plus Chris Hillman of the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. The 2006 country-rock collection The Heartbeat of Love likewise incorporated several longtime associates, including Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Timothy B. Schmit, and Kenny Loggins.
Furay collaborated with Neil Young and Stephen Stills on a Buffalo Springfield reunion tour in 2011. Young withdrew before any new album could be completed, yet several songs Furay composed anticipating a Springfield project surfaced on 2015's Hand in Hand, which also included a fresh version of "Kind Woman" with backing vocals from Neil Young and Kenny Loggins. On November 16, 2018, Furay and his ensemble staged a special Troubadour concert in Los Angeles—Poco's original venue—to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the live album Deliverin'. The performance was captured, and the resulting 2021 two-CD set Return to the Troubadour allowed listeners beyond California to experience it. Furay partnered with BMG Rights Management for 2022's In the Country, covering twelve favored country tracks, among them selections popularized by Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Alabama, John Denver, and Buddy & Julie Miller.
Albums
In The Country (Deluxe)
2022
Live From My Father's Place 8/31/76
2017
In My Father's House: The Deluxe Edition (Original Recording Remastered) [Bonus Live Tracks]
2016
Alive (The Deluxe Edition)
2016
Hand In Hand
2015
The Heartbeat of Love (Original Recording Remastered)
2006
I Am Sure (Original Recording Remastered)
2005
I Still Have Dreams
1979
Dance A Little Light
1978
Singles
Live
