In 1973 Asylum Records president David Geffen encouraged the formation of Souther-Hillman-Furay, an ensemble whose members had previously belonged to virtually every significant country-rock group then active. Richie Furay had helped establish both Buffalo Springfield and Poco, Chris Hillman had already played with the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Stephen Stills’ Manassas, and J.D. Souther had co-founded Longbranch Pennywhistle with Glenn Frey of the Eagles, released a solo album on Asylum, and written material for Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and the Eagles.
The band’s additional musicians included veteran pianist Paul Harris, pedal-steel guitarist Al Perkins—whose résumé listed Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas—and drummer Jim Gordon, late of Derek & the Dominos and the composer of the piano coda that ends “Layla.” Conceived as a country-rock counterpart to Crosby, Stills & Nash, the project received extensive publicity, yet the chemistry never developed. The debut album moved respectably, while its successor, Trouble in Paradise, drew poor notices; shortly afterward the group disbanded and the principals resumed solo work.
Souther issued two further solo records, one of which produced the modest hit “You’re Only Lonely.” Hillman’s Asylum efforts failed to connect, leading him to join fellow former Byrds Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark in McGuinn, Clark & Hillman before he assembled the popular country-rock Desert Rose Band. Furay, who had become a minister in Colorado, recorded three albums shaped by Christian themes and rejoined Poco for its 20th-anniversary release.
