Keep on Believin’: The Life and Music of Richie Furay

One of America’s great rock and roll pioneers, Richie Furay played alongside Neil Young and Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield, producing some of the signature sounds of American folk rock. He went on to form Poco, one of the bands that founded California country rock, and then Souther-Hillman-Furay. After declaring himself a Christian in 1974, Furay released four solo albums before taking up the ministry in 1983. He began recording again in 1997, and over the next twenty-five years he released two Christian and five secular albums. In this biography of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Richie Furay, Thomas Kitts provides an intimate look at Furay’s life and music. Kitts chronicles the musician’s upbringing, his musical career, and his Christianity, drawing on interviews with Furay and others close to him. In documenting Furay’s extraordinary talent as a songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, Kitts argues that although he never attained the level of stardom of many of his bandmates, Furay is a pivotal figure in American popular music. Fans of Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and country-rock music will enjoy this quintessentially American story of a young man on a quest to fulfill his rock-and-roll dreams. Contents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments 1 “We Were the Dreamers”: Richie Furay and Yellow Springs 2 “Consequently, So Long”: Otterbein College and Greenwich Village 3 “What a Day”: Laurel Canyon and Buffalo Springfield 4 “Merry-Go-Round”: Confusion in the Springfield 5 “Anyway Bye Bye”: The End of Buffalo Springfield 6 “Pickin’ Up the Pieces”: Poco 7 “C’mon”: Hope and Frustration 8 “What Am I Gonna Do”: Decisions 9 “On the Line”: SHF, Marital Problems, Conversion 10 “I’ve Got a Reason”: Going Solo 11 “With My Whole Heart”: The Ministry and Devotional Music 12 “Still Deliverin’”: Into the Twenty-First Century Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index