#20 I'VE GOT A REASON by The Richie Furay Band (1976)

I'VE GOT A REASON by The Richie Furay Band (1976)
Asylum | 7E-1067

Pretty sure Richie Furay is the only artist on this list to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. 

As a member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, Richie's music has been heard and loved by millions of people the world over, as he helped to literally define and launch country rock as a genre of music. His subsequent solo albums and work with the Richie Furay Band were a great indication that he never tired of sharing the musical gift that God had given him. And yet, playing music (whether Christian or "mainstream") on the world's biggest stages would not be able to upstage the call of God on his life to shepherd a congregation of believers. Furay served as the pastor of a Calvary Chapel church in the shadow of Colorado's Rocky Mountains for 35 years. He has said that the activities and commitments associated with his work as a pastor were as important to him as anything in the world. That's a sentiment that you'll rarely hear from any of the other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

Richie Furay speaks at the induction of Buffalo Springfield
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

By the mid-1970s, Furay had surrendered his life to Jesus. After growing disillusioned with previous band efforts, he decided to try something new. He assembled a cast of like-minded brothers - men who were top-notch musicians but also veterans of the Jesus Movement. These guys - Tom Stipe, Jay Truax and John Mehler - had been physically present at the epicenter of what God did during that glorious revival, much of it taking place in and around Pastor Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. Stipe had hosted Calvary Chapel's iconic Saturday Night Concerts, while Truax and Mehler had been members of Love Song, the group whose music formed a large part of the soundtrack of the Jesus Movement. Would it be possible for these born-again believers to write, record and release an album of authentic rock and roll that honored God and pointed people to a life-changing faith on one of the biggest secular record labels around? It was going to require a deft songwriting approach; heavy-handed evangelism would not be accepted by the suits at Elektra/Asylum. Would Furay be able to point listeners to Jesus without actually mentioning Jesus? This had been tried before. A born-again brother by the name of Michael Omartian had pulled off such a feat over at ABC/Dunhill with a record called White Horse. Having Omartian on the production team would certainly help.

Paul Richard Furay was born in 1944 and grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His parents were workaholics and entrepreneurs, owning and operating Furay's Gift Shop, sort of a mom-and-pop, modern department store. Richie felt like he was raised more by his grandmother. He says he had dreams of being a successful musician from age eight or nine. In his 2006 autobiography, Pickin' Up the Pieces, Furay still has vivid memories of two objects from childhood that helped point him in a musical direction: a Revere reel-to-reel tape recorder and a Gibson hollow-body electric ES295.

When Richie was just thirteen years old, his father passed away suddenly, due to an aortic aneurysm. Richie's life changed in an instant.

Inspired by Ricky Nelson, Furay started writing love songs and playing parties and school dances with a doo-wop group. But he also began to rebel and make life difficult for his mother. With his dad gone, the absence of a strong male role model began to show up through ignored curfews and underage drinking. 

After high school it was on to Otterbein College...and an interest in folk music. Furay won first place in a talent show, joined a school choir, and became part of a trio called The Monks. The Monks played for sororities and other campus events; they even played a dance at the Columbus School for the Blind.

Richie traveled to New York City with the school choir, at a time when Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary were all the rage. NYC was the center of the folk-music universe...and Richie Furay decided that his purpose in life was to live in that town, be a folk singer, and simply have fun making music. It wasn't long before Furay moved to Greenwich Village in an effort to make those dreams come true. 

He joined one of those oversized folk groups so popular in the mid-60s. This one was called the Au Go-Go Singers. He also auditioned to join the Chad Mitchell Trio...but lost out to the man who would later come to be known as John Denver. And, oh yeah, he met some guys named Neil Young and Steve Stills. But he had a job and a girlfriend and a somewhat normal life as he continued to seek out musical opportunities here and there.

When Richie Furay first heard Mr. Tambourine Man, the debut album by The Byrds, it was a life-altering moment. He has said that what struck him about it was that this music was a completely original hybrid of folk music and rock 'n roll, unlike anything that had existed up to that point. Furay knew that he had to get serious about pursuing music full-time. And so he moved to L.A. to look up his buddy Stephen Stills.

Once in Southern California, Furay eventually teamed up with Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin to form The Buffalo Springfield, a band with incredible chemistry and a unique sound. Furay tells the story of how the group got its name:

"One day a steamroller was resurfacing Fountain Avenue in front of Barry [Friedman's] house. It had a metal plate on the back of it that read 'Buffalo Springfield.' We took the plate, put it on Barry's mantelpiece, and adopted the words on it as our own."  *

 

Richie later learned that the Buffalo Springfield Roller Company, which built the steamroller that inspired the band name, was headquartered in Springfield, Ohio...just nine or ten miles from his hometown of Yellow Springs. What are the odds? Another interesting fact is that Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin originally played with a group known as The Dillards. You might remember them as "the Darling Family" on The Andy Griffith Show.

The Buffalo Springfield quickly became the toast of the LA music scene, opening for The Byrds, the Beach Boys, and others. They appeared on American Bandstand and even played private parties at the homes of Hollywood celebrities like Dean Martin and Steve McQueen. Furay managed to stay clean and sober but drug arrests, deportations and major friction within the band eventually doomed the outfit. They were young guys, some of them with questionable judgment and rather large egos; professional and creative jealousy was often the order of the day. There was at least one time that tempers boiled over to such an extent that Stills and Young were literally throwing chairs at each other backstage. The group only released two albums while still together; a third album was released shortly after the they broke apart. But looking back, Buffalo Springfield successfully combined elements of folk and country with British rock and psychedelic rock. They were hailed by Rolling Stone as "the American Beatles." 

Music historian Mark Allan Powell says that Buffalo Springfield remains one of the few bands from the late 60s whose music is still regarded as vital today. Powell also notes that Richie Furay had the best singing voice in the group and "generally sang lead on all the pretty songs." Buffalo Springfield is widely regarded as a key contributor to the folk-rock scene of the late 60s and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.   

Richie Furay did not grow up in a particularly religious family. His parents did take him to weekly services at a Methodist church in Yellow Springs, but they were too busy running the store to focus much on church life. However, the Beach Boys' Mike Love and Carl Wilson did their best to turn Richie on to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation, which was all the rage at the time among musicians like The Beach Boys and Beatles. The boys in Buffalo Springfield were even asked to go through an initiation ritual to "improve their karma." Furay remembers that they were asked to perform a ceremony in front of a photo of the Maharishi which involved a handkerchief, a flower and a piece of fruit. He says that he and his bandmates did their best acting job...but none of them were buying it.

A major milestone in Richie's life took place during his time in Buffalo Springfield. He met and married a non-music fan named Nancy Jennings. Richie and Nancy may be the only couple in history to have Neil Young show up at their wedding in a Confederate army uniform.

In his book, Pickin' Up the Pieces, Furay mentions a Buffalo Springfield song titled, A Child's Claim to Fame. This song is notable, because it has been acknowledged as one of the earliest examples of a new genre of music known as country rock, serving as inspiration for groups like Poco and the Eagles and dozens of other bands that would follow. Furay explains:

"I didn't set out to invent a new genre of music when I wrote it; I was just doing what came naturally. Even so, the combination of styles that came together was unique, and the sound has stood the test of time." *

Poco

With Neil Young and all that drama in the rear view mirror, Furay started listening to a lot of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. He and Jim Messina really wanted to form a new group to fully explore a melding of country music and rock 'n roll. Poco was formed with Furay, Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner as the original lineup. Greg Allman was considered for the band, but did not work out. The group's original name was to be Pogo, after a comic strip character with the same name, but artist Walt Kelly threatened to sue, and the spelling was changed to Poco.

The story is told that a young Glenn Frey used to drop by the Poco rehearsal sessions, studying and listening intently, no doubt gaining inspiration that would be put to good use with The Eagles. Poco shared stages with the likes of Chuck Berry, Santana, the Who, the Doors, Johnny Winter, CCR, and even a young, white suit-wearing comedian named Steve Martin. 

Poco is rightfully considered a founder of the Southern California country-rock sound, although they never tasted a lot of commercial success. Part of the problem was radio formats. At that time, radio DJs were powerful. The DJs picked their own songs, compiled their own playlists, and served as gatekeepers over whether or not a song became a hit. Well, rock DJs thought Poco was too country, while the country DJs considered Poco to be too rock and roll. Poco was caught in-between. It didn't help that the group's manager, Dickie Davis, turned down an invitation for the band to play at a music festival in New York in 1969 in favor of some other gig (that Furay can't even remember today). The gig Davis turned down was - you guessed it - Woodstock.

It was during his time with Poco that Furay made a disastrous and painful choice by having an extramarital affair. Never one to "sleep around" with groupies on the road, this was an isolated relationship with a secretary at Columbia Records. Furay is very transparent about this subject in his autobiography and thankfully it is a story that ends well. But not overnight. It's a story of much hurt and pain, separation, divorce threats, you name it. But it's also a story of hope and healing and repentance and forgiveness. Look up Richie's book for the timeline and all the details. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles were becoming major stars while Poco labored in relative obscurity. Some think it was just a matter of timing. "America wasn't quite ready for country rock in the Poco era," writes Mark Allan Powell, "and then when the Eagles brought it on, they proceeded to raid Poco's members."

Richie and Nancy decided they needed a fresh start and a change of scenery, so they moved to the beautiful state of Colorado. Furay says the clean, crisp Colorado air helped clear his head. But Poco was still struggling to find an audience and to gain spins on the radio. When Take It Easy became a big hit for the Eagles, Furay realized that it was time to move on. He went to David Geffen, who had an idea for a supergroup consisting of Furay, J.D. Souther and Chris Hillman. "We sealed the deal with a handshake," Furay remembers.

That's Al Perkins on the far left

Well, the supergroup thing never really panned out due to a lack of personal and creative chemistry within the group. There was no spark when the three men tried to harmonize. Rehearsals were awkward. The group just never seemed to click with audiences. According to Richie Furay, "Some things that might look good on paper don't always play out that way in real life."

Al Perkins

But I believe that God had at least one major purpose behind the creation of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. And it was to bring Richie Furay face-to-face with Al Perkins.

Let's back up a bit. When musicians were being considered for this new supergroup, Chris Hillman really wanted Perkins, as he was a highly-talented pedal-steel player. Furay knew that Al was a great talent but was dead-set against him being in the band. And it was all because of Al's reputation as a born-again Christian. Perkins even had a fish sticker on his guitar! Richie explains that he was just fearful that Al's faith would drag the group down and scare away the audience he wanted to attract. Again, to gain the full impact of this part of the story, buy Richie's autobiography, where it is recounted in compelling detail. Spoiler alert: Al Perkins ends up winning Richie Furay to the Lord. One of the methods he used was to play Pastor Chuck Smith's sermons for Richie on cassette tapes. "Al was living the type of life I ended up embracing," Furay wrote. "When I accepted Jesus into my life, all of a sudden, life had so much more meaning than I could ever have imagined."

Nancy Furay actually came to the Lord before Richie. So they were both saved as a result of the witness of Al and Debbie Perkins; not only that, but God used Al and Debbie to minister life and strength into Richie and Nancy's marriage as well. Richie writes in his book that he became a devoted Bible reader and began to spend a lot of time with brothers who had ties to Calvary Chapel. Looking back, I'd say that God definitely had a hand (and a plan) in selecting Al Perkins for a slot in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.

So...SHF had run its course. Richie Furay was a sold-out Christian, he had been reconciled to his wife Nancy, and by now he was a father to two daughters. Time to switch gears in a major way. 

"I wanted to put together the rock and roll band for God," Furay said. 

This is where the aforementioned Stipe, Truax and Mehler come in. Furay says he wanted to create a band with people who were not just gifted musically, but whose lifestyles and beliefs were in sync with his own. "With the Richie Furay Band, I wanted to make music that would do more than simply proselytize," he said. He wanted to share experiences from his life, and his new life in Jesus was certainly one of those experiences, perhaps even the most important one. But it was important to Richie to write about his faith in a way that didn't come off as preachy. This record would be on Asylum. This was not on Maranatha Records. It would not be directed to the Church. This would be a group of Christian men writing and recording music directed at an unchurched world. It may not have been completely uncharted territory; like I said earlier, Michael Omartian had done much the same thing with White Horse. But this was extremely rare and would be a difficult thing to pull off. Christian audiences in 1976 who were used to songs like Jesus Puts the Song in Our Hearts by Love Song might wonder, "Why does he not mention Jesus?" Meanwhile, secular audiences in 1976 who might've heard rumors of Furay's Christian conversion might read between the lines and accuse him of having a religious agenda. It was a difficult thing to pull off. You know what they say about making everyone happy...

Furay says that before the album was finalized, David Geffen asked him, "You aren't going to give me any of that Jesus music, are you?" Furay realized that Geffen's concern came from a marketing standpoint, since money was always the bottom line. 

David Geffen

Richie Furay was not the first secular musician to accept Christ and then have a decision to make. But as a former member of Buffalo Springfield, he was probably the most famous. Barry McGuire had been with the New Christy Minstrels and later had a hit single with the protest song, Eve of Destruction. Larry Norman had a moderate hit (I Love You) with the band People!, Phil Keaggy was in Glass Harp (no radio hits of which I'm aware) and Chuck Girard had some "beach music" airplay in the early 60s as a member of the Hondells and Castells. But all of those men came out of the mainstream music industry and began to record for Christian labels (much to Norman's chagrin). Furay, on the other hand, wanted to remain in the secular arena "rather than retreating to the friendlier confines of a Christian record company." He figures his determination to do it that way put a target on his back. (By the way, there would be more high-profile secular artists turning their lives - and music - over to Jesus in the years following I've Got a Reason - Dan Peek of America, B.J. Thomas, Joe English of Paul McCartney & Wings, Bob Dylan, Kerry Livgren of Kansas and Phillip Bailey of Earth Wind & Fire, just to name a few.) Perhaps Richie Furay helped open the floodgates.

Bill Schnee and Michael Omartian

I've Got a Reason is produced by two respected musical heavyweights who also just happen to be Christians - Bill Schnee and Michael Omartian. While the album does benefit from cameo appearances by artists such as Al Perkins, Steve Cropper, Don Gerber and Alex MacDougall, it is Furay, Stipe, Truax and Mehler that form the backbone of this recording. Richie Furay himself has described the songs on this album as "professional, commercial, and enjoyable from a purely musical standpoint, but they also provided additional layers of meaning to anyone who would look deeper into the message."

Side One of I've Got a Reason opens with one of the album's more memorable tracks. Clocking in at 5:10, Look At the Sun immediately put the "Jesus Music" listener on notice that this was an album with a bigger budget and much more impressive production values than some of the albums coming out of the fledgling Christian labels at that time. I love David Diggs' string arrangement on this song, as well as the smooth Fender Rhodes and synthesizer parts. Critic Mark Allan Powell wrote in his Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music that Furay's voice never sounded better than on this soaring, opening track.

I honestly don't know if this is accurate or not, but some of the lyrics in Look at the Sun seem to be describing Furay's conversion experience...

Tossed to and fro

I tumbled like a domino

Then all at once I felt my senses come around

I laughed so hard I cried

I knew my old self had died

Richie has said that We'll See (more cowbell!) and Gettin' Through (the banjo song) were both attempts to explain his faith to musician friends who did not know the Lord.

From Gettin' Through...

All the times you've heard the music
And all the times it moved your soul
And you found yourself believing in rock and roll

There is music here for certain
There's enough and maybe more
And I'll let you know a secret
You're the one that it's for

Like an arrow straight and true
There ain't nothing you can do
When the sight's on you
Am I gettin' through?

Is it enough that you just make do?
Are you satisfied to drift with the tide?
Is it taking hold?

Well, whatever else you've been told
You're long overdue
Am I gettin' through?

The album's title track was an instant classic. It was the first song Furay wrote after giving his life to Jesus. 

Music was my life, finally took everything
Ain't it funny how you got it all and not a thing?

"Those words express the ultimate lack of fulfillment in a person's life when Jesus is excluded," Richie penned in his autobiography. "I wanted to tell [my musician friends] that Christianity wasn't a fad, but something real, substantial, and made to last forever."

I've got a reason for living each day
And I've got a reason for makin' it pay
If it's only for a moment and it's only my way
I've got a reason, a time and a season

I was takin' life for granted, a little more than I should
I had it easy, was life ever doing me good

I had it all written, how the story would end
But I ran out of pages and I was left all alone with the pen

The story's still got a line, the song'll still rhyme
The names are the same, they're yours and they're mine

"These songs never mention the name Jesus Christ," Richie says, "but they are suffused with His Spirit. He's all over this record."

Before diving into Side Two...I reached out to the prolific and affable Mr. Alex MacDougall and asked him to share his thoughts on his friend Richie Furay and the album I've Got a Reason. 

Alex MacDougall and Richie Furay

"There’s so much to this topic," MacDougall said. "Richie Furay has been in my life since I was just 15. I grew up in Southern California, and when I heard the first Buffalo Springfield radio single in August of 1966, I was an immediate fan. I think it was just the next month when I saw them in concert opening for Chad and Jeremy and Ian Whitcomb. For the remainder of the short-lived Buffalo Springfield, I was able to see them many times, and meet them. Richie was always kind to me, even inviting my friends and I to his home. You have to remember that we were just high school kids, so there was nothing to gain by his befriending us. I also saw the band Poco (originally Pogo) several times, but after that, we grew apart." 

Alex MacDougall plays percussion on I've Got a Reason. I was interested to learn how he ended up as a studio musician on the album. "When I became a Christian in 1969, my life took on a new path," Alex explained. "When I was in the Christian band, The Way, the great pedal-steel player Al Perkins met us at Calvary Chapel. He wanted to produce our second album, Can it Be? Al was playing in the band Souther, Hillman, and Furay at the time. I told Al my story about my times with Richie years earlier and he asked, 'Would you like to meet him again?' I of course agreed. I went up to Hollywood to meet up with Al and see Richie again. Richie was young in the faith, and was about to record I’ve Got A Reason, along with my friends Tom Stipe, Jay Truax, and John Mehler. We were all part of the Jesus Movement and Calvary Chapel. I’m guessing this was 1975."

MacDougall continues: "In early 1976 I saw Richie at a church picnic, and he asked me to play on the record. What an incredible honor for me to be a part of I’ve Got a Reason. I played percussion alongside John’s great drumming. As I remember it, when the recording was completed, Bill Schnee, who co-produced the project with Michael Omartian, told Richie, 'You need Alex on the road in the band to pull this off live.' So Richie asked me to be a part of the touring band."

How 'bout that album cover? In band photos and on album covers, Richie Furay somehow had a knack for looking like one of the happiest dudes you ever saw. Approachable. Friendly. Like the kind of guy you'd just enjoy hangin' out with. Bob Seidemann took the portrait on the front cover and Mary Ellen Mark snapped the iconic image on the back of the album jacket. Glen Christiansen was in charge of art direction, while the inimitable Rick Griffin designed the band logo. 

Furay has revealed that several of the songs on this album were colored by the marriage problems he and Nancy were struggling with at the time. Mighty Maker was a prayer to restore the marriage, while the island-inspired You're the One I Love was an attempt on Richie's part to let Nancy know that he'd seen the error of his ways and only had eyes for her.

Incidentally, Mighty Maker is also just one heck of a great rock and roll song. John Mehler takes us all to school with some ridiculous solo drum fills, and the synthesizer parts on this song (as on other of the record's tracks) are subtle and understated, but greatly appreciated.   

Still Rolling Stones was a driving rocker that expressed Furay's frustration with incorrect stereotypes and assumptions regarding his Christian faith. Said Richie:

"The title intentionally alluded to Rolling Stone magazine, which had started looking at my music differently ever since word of my Christian conversion began circulating. Many other publications followed suit to the point where my faith, not my music, was being reviewed. That sort of bias made no sense to me back then, and it still doesn't." *

 

The album concludes with an instant classic. The seven-minute Over and Over Again is a treasure.

Michael Omartian had a habit of ending his own albums with an extra-long song that featured amazing instrumentation and went through several musical movements. He even did it on an Imperials album (Seek Ye First on Priority). It looks like that's what happens here. (Just a guess on my part.) What a fitting conclusion - a great vocal performance, amazing synth and guitar parts, and an arrangement that surprises yet satisfies. 

The critics weigh in...

"I've Got a Reason was, musically, the best work Furay had ever done and one of the best albums yet to appear in the world of contemporary Christian Music. Furay's voice has never sounded better. In retrospect, 'Reason' was probably the first album to qualify as exemplary of a new genre of Christian rock as opposed to the simple-but-sincere Jesus music records that had preceded it. I've Got a Reason does not feature folk-rock love-songs-to-and-about-Jesus...Indeed, it does not mention Jesus by name even once. Nor does it deliver the sort of Sunday school songs that critics in the secular press were poised to trash in the 'has-been rock star turns into annoying Jesus freak' reviews they had outlined in their minds. Instead it offers poignant glimpses into how a person of faith finds meaning in this damaged world." -Mark Allan Powell 

"...it's Furay's clear, emotive tenor, along with his sense of melody and passion for the material, that carries the album." -Brett Hartenbach, AllMusic 

"...a legitimate country-driven, progressive rock album for the ages. Not a single 'miss' on it." -Blogger & podcaster David Lowman

 

 

 

By 1976, David Geffen left Asylum for Warner Brothers. Geffen's replacement, a talented man with the painfully common name Joe Smith, had no relationship with Richie and showed no real interest in promoting I've Got a Reason. Asylum sent some copies to skeptical critics and that was about it. The album languished. Oh, and there was no tour support, either. Richie had to buy a van in order to get the guys from gig to gig. The album did develop an underground cult following, however. Christians who knew the deal were ecstatic to hear this amazing album. 

In 1977 the Furay family welcomed another daughter and Richie switched gears musically...yet again. He held the band together long enough to release Dance a Little Light, a mainstream offering that was, in his words, "less overtly spiritual" than I've Got a Reason but still permeated with matters of faith. The band kept traveling, playing clubs and theaters but also adding in some gigs at Christian colleges. It's important to Richie Furay that he's never written or recorded songs of which he has to be ashamed. He has said that none of his mainstream songs contradict his Christian beliefs. "There's not a song I would be ashamed to sing anywhere, anytime," he says. "I'm proud of every single one." Dance a Little Light was followed by I Still Have Dreams.

By this time, the audience for country rock had begun to shrink, as styles like new wave, punk, and corporate rock grew in popularity. Airplay was harder than ever to come by.  As Richie and Nancy welcomed a fourth and final daughter into the house, Richie finally told Asylum goodbye. He had long toyed with the idea of recording for a Christian record label. It was finally time. Buddy Huey, an executive with Myrrh, agreed to a new solo album for Richie Furay, but also to purchase the rights to the classic I've Got a Reason (an album that he loved personally) and re-release the album, thereby giving it new life and putting it in the hands of many who missed it the first time around. Good on ya, Mr. Huey.

Richie's first overtly Christian album, Seasons of Change, is a great one. Released in 1982 at the height of the new wave craze, Seasons of Change might've sounded like a bit of a throwback, as it remained true to Richie's style. This might've hurt the album with young listeners, but the project is a joy to listen to. Furay was finally free to express his faith in a straightforward way. "No longer did I have to put my love for the Lord into a sort of code that wouldn't raise a red flag for secular music executives," he said. Songs like For the Prize, Through It All, Endless Flight, Hallelujah, and the title track were all standouts.

Pastor Chuck Smith and Richie

Speaking of seasons of change...the biggest one of all was just around the corner. Richie Furay was about to embark on a period of pastoral ministry that would see him eventually leading a Calvary Chapel congregation for 35 years. Starting with a home Bible study, this is another story with far too many twists, turns and testimonies for me to do it justice here - it would best be experienced by obtaining Richie's book. [By the way, Tom Stipe would also become a much-loved Calvary Chapel pastor in Colorado. He went Home to be with the Lord in December 2020.]

Furay continued to record sporadically and has participated in some Buffalo Springfield and Poco reunions. Several more albums have been released, the most recent in 2022! The man never seems to get tired. An outspoken conservative, Furay's social media posts rub some of his old fans the wrong way now and then. But he doesn't let the trolls get him down. He's pretty much cancel-proof at this stage of his ministry and career.

You can have all the talent in the world - and Richie Furay has a lot - but one of the true marks of a man is how he treats those around him, the impact and effect that he has on those who work closely alongside. 

Alex MacDougall

"To this day, I consider Richie one of my best friends," said Alex MacDougall. "He is kind, friendly, and an impeccable musician. The pressures that he must have experienced during that time must have been intense. He had the peer pressure and the phenomenal success of so many of his contemporaries and former bandmates, including Steve Stills and Neil Young; he had the pressure to write and record radio 'hits' from the label; and he had the expectations of his mainstream fans juxtaposed against his desire to express his newfound beliefs. It was tough for him, but he always was gracious. We began the ’76 tour only performing songs from I’ve Got a Reason, but then moved into a hybrid of songs that also included his significant contributions over the years. He’s performing soon [September 2022] here in Nashville. The Country Music Hall of Fame has created a new exhibit honoring Country Rock and the LA musicians who pioneered it. They’ve created a special concert night. Richie deserves that honor."

Richie Furay ended up traveling the world...appearing on American Bandstand...playing music in places like the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden...and, of course, his name and likeness can be found in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame as well as THE Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his home state of Ohio. He would probably tell you that all of that musical success pales in comparison with the satisfaction and fulfillment of caring for, teaching, nurturing and maturing that flock of believers in Colorado for all those years, his wife Nancy at his side.  

The kid from Yellow Springs, Ohio did alright.

* Quotations are from Pickin' Up the Pieces by Richie Furay with Michael Roberts. Get your copy HERE.