Poco's Rusty Young releasing debut solo album featuring ex-band mates Furay & Schmit

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Blue Élan RecordsFounding Poco multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young will release the first solo album of his 50-year career, Waitin’ for the Sun, on September 15.

The record includes guest appearances by fellow original Poco members Richie Furay, Jim Messina and George Grantham, as well as Timothy B. Schmit, who played with the influential country-rock group from 1969 to 1977 before joining the Eagles.

Young wrote all of the album’s 10 tracks, and says the ideas for the songs generally came to him as he watched the sun rise at his cabin near Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest.

As Rusty explains, “[I’d be] sitting there with my guitar, loving where I live and thinking about how far I’ve come and how lucky I’ve been. After a while, the songs just poured out of me.”

Young, the only musician who’s played with all incarnations of Poco, also tapped the talents of the rest of his band’s current lineup for the album: bassist/singer Jack Sundrud, keyboardist Michael Webb and drummer Rick Lonow.

“They are, quite simply, the best musicians I know,” says Young. “You can’t separate me from the sound of Poco, but I wanted to take the Poco sound — the songwriting, the vocals and the playing — to the next level. The goal of this album was to go one step beyond.”

Among the album’s standout tracks is “My Friend,” featuring Furay and Schmit.

“‘My Friend’ is about Poco over the years and the friendship we share to this day,” says Rusty. “That’s why I called Richie and Timothy; the song is about them.” Billboard.com is hosting an exclusive premiere of the tune.

Young is planning a tour in support of Waitin’ for the Sun, while Poco has a variety of shows on its schedule. Visit Poconut.org to check out the band’s itinerary.

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