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Topic: Rusty Young and the Country Rock Scene of the ‘70’s |
Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 5 Jan 2017 6:58 am |
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From “Desperados” by John Einarson.
And then there was Norman Russell “Rusty” Young. “Rusty Young and I went to the same high school, Lincoln High in Denver,” recalled the Soul Survivors’ Pat Shanahan. “My first professional job was playing with Rusty at a place called the Stag Bar on North Federal in Denver with a standup bass player. I was so young I couldn’t even drive, so my Dad took me and sat in the audience until I had finished. Rusty and I played a bunch of country and western stuff. At the time I didn’t like that music. Rusty was playing all this whining Hawaiian stuff.”
“I started playing guitar in 1952,” recalls Young, who was only six years old at the time. “In Colorado back then, if you wanted to play guitar they started everyone on lap steel. I started playing in bars in Colorado when I was twelve. In the fifties and sixties that meant playing country music, although we’d try to sneak in Santo and Johnny every once in a while. But I loved Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, and I listened to rock just like every other teenager. I’d play on Sunday afternoons. They would pass the hat, and that’s how we got paid.” Young rapidly advanced to pedal steel once he was old enough to reach the pedals with his feet. “When I got to be a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, I started getting professionally serious. I worked in a guitar studio in the afternoons giving lessons from four to seven, and then I would pack up and play country music at 8:30. I’d play until 1:30 when they would close the bar down. I did this for years.”
Despite the presence of definite country & western elements, Boenzee Cryque were a rock band. Young doubled on guitar when not playing fuzz-tone steel guitar solos. “Boenzee Cryque’s music was pretty similar to Poco, actually,” offers Young, who, with drummer George Grantham, would later be a founding member of that band. “We had the steel guitar and were playing Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, basic rock songs and some originals. We were one of the two big local acts. We had a record out that had been number one in Colorado for week after week,” recalls Grantham. “Rusty comes from a big country background. That’s all he played before Boenzee Cryque. That was his first time stepping into rock music.
“But he used to tell us stories about Buck Owens and the Buckaroos being the first country rock band, and I can see what he meant. We thought it would be a great idea to bring Rusty into our band, something new. He started experimenting with different sounds on the steel, and incorporating it into rock music. It just sounded like a good idea. Rusty didn’t play steel guitar all the time in Boenzee Cryque, he played both steel and regular guitar. Anything we had the steel guitar on though, was going to take the flavor of country. The style we really started liking was that country rock mesh kind of sound, Rusty played at least as much steel as he did guitar in the band.” At the time, Young was content to play in a popular Denver group by night, supplementing his income by day working in a local music store.
Tim Schmitt’s youthful good looks drew a strong contingent of female fans to Poco’s shows, a point not lost on Rusty Young. “In the old days there used to be two lines outside the dressing room when we finished a concert, laughs Young. “One long line of really pretty girls and another long line of hairy-legged old boys. And the girls would all be waiting to meet Tim and the guys would all be waiting to ask me how I tuned my steel guitar.” |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 5 Jan 2017 7:49 am
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Nice episode from the book. Thanks Frank!
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 5 Jan 2017 12:59 pm
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I saw Pogo, with a G, back in the very beginning, with their original line-up, before they were forced to change the way they spelled their name. This was the first time I saw a PSG. I had bo idea what it was, but Rusty Young played the bejuzes out of it.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2017 4:12 pm
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I actually used to see Boenzee Cryque all the time in teen clubs around South Denver in the 60's when I was just a young lad. It's funny that I never considered anything unusual about Rusty's playing a pedal steel at the time, nor did I ever consider myself ever playing one either. I guess I was more interested in girls and the Beatles at the time. 
I went to a rock concert once that the Boenzee Cryque was the opening act for the Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield. I've often wondered if that was the night that Rusty was "discovered"? |
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2017 1:36 pm
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Rick,
I always wondered how they pronounced that name, Boon-z Creek, Bean-z Creek, I'm sure you know.
Thanks, Craig |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2017 8:27 am
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Actually Craig... I don't think me or any of my teen cronies ever did know how to pronounce it. 
It was always something like like Ben-zi-Crik or Bwen-zee-Crik??? |
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Dennis Olearchik
From:
Newtown, PA
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Posted 7 Jan 2017 6:23 pm
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I'm always glad to see Rusty Young mentioned on the forum.
Obviously, his music with POCO is not traditional country music.
But I've always luv'd Rusty's playing (songs and singing). |
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Jerry Korkki
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2017 5:01 pm
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| A friend an I went to see Poco in Phoenix in the early 70's that I heard later was part of their live "Delivering" record. Totally floored by the vocals we sat in astonishment as Rusty picked up a chair and played his steel with it. At the time I was like everybody else into Buddy and all the other greats and to PLAY YOUR STEEL WITH A CHAIR just didn't seem right. Thing is, it sounded great, if not somewhat wild. I will never forget that show! |
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GaryL
From:
Medina, OH USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2017 10:12 pm Rusty Young
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Rusty played better stuff with the top a folding chair than I've ever done using a bar.
_________________
GFI Ultra D-10 keyless
Quilter Steelaire(s)
Telonics rack system, 12"& 15" TT Speakers, Hilton Volume |
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 5:26 am
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Rick, Thanks for the comeback, that's kinda what I thought,....the mystery continues.
_________________
Regards, Craig
I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.
Today is tomorrow's Good ol' days |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 8:49 am
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deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 11:26 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 9:14 am
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Thank you Michael Lee! That PSG handbook looks very special. I wish I had it. Looks like a rare item.
I've seen Poco as support for America back in the seventies. Rusty played the Melobar quite often.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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David Cubbedge
From:
Toledo,Ohio, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 9:23 am
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Poco, Pure Prairie League, Burritos, Eagles, New Riders and many more from that great era are the main reason I play PSG.
_________________
Red Emmons D10 fatback #2246D with sweet Hugh Briley split cases, Black Emmons S10 #1466S, '73 Fender "Snakeskin" Twin Reverb, Peavey Nashville 400, Line 6 Pod XT, Fender 400, Fender Stringmaster Double-8, too many guitars, one bass! |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 9:28 am
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I wonder whatever happened to the Pedal Steel Handbook that was being shared around the world among Forumites? Is it still in circulation, or did it get stalled someplace? I think it's my turn!
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 10:03 am
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deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 11:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Wayne Quinn
From:
Cape Breton.NovaScotia
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Posted 9 Jan 2017 7:01 pm
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Dont want to high jack Franks thread here but got to say Jim Cohen. watched some vids on you tube of you and realy love your playing my friend awesome job on Some Day Soon 
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D10 Carter, SD10 Mullen .Nashville 400,. peavey 112 Boss DD3., RV5, |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 19 Jan 2017 9:41 pm
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The only time I saw Poco they opened for YES at the "Fabulous Forum" in Inglewood CA in the 70's.
That was one heck of a concert. I think. Hey, it was the 70's!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2017 5:57 am
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Too many decades ago I saw a great concert at MSG.. It was the Outlaws opening up, followed by POCO, and the Doobie Brothers headlining.. The Outlaws sounded awful.. I think because they were brand new "nobodies" at the time, their sound was sabotaged,, Then POCO, and I was astounded at what a great band they were.. Simply amazing.. Then the Doobies, who is who I really went to see.
They were great, and I recall an otherwordly bass solo by Tiran Porter, I had never seen such wizardry on an electric bass,, However, in my opinion as much as I liked the Outlaws and the Doobies, and still do to this day, POCO was by far the best band on the MSG stage that night... Not long after, I started playing steel myself, and Rusty became one of my mentors, even though he'll never know it... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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