International Country Music Day is a day that country music lovers around the world are aware of.
Classical country hit makers from Colorado can be found in this list.
Poco
According to the Colorado Music Experience, the air surrounding the recording of “Kind Woman” was in disarray when Denver-based guitarist Rusty Young was in Los Angeles playing for Buffalo Springfield. Two band members interested in a break-off venture reached out to Young, who reached out to two Coloradan musicians and thus Poco was formed.
It wouldn’t be long before the founding members of the Eagles broke away around 1969 to form another group. The Eagles would begin to sound like Poco.
Young filled the empty positions and pushed onward despite the struggle. When the band’s 14th studio album “Legend” was released in 1968, they struck gold with singles.
- “Crazy Love”
- “Heart of the Night”
- “Barbados”
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band left the west coast after the release of Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy. According to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, after arriving, they went to watch Earl and Doc, who were country-music icons in the region.
The band earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America after they recorded the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”. The album was re-released in 2002
The first American-based group to be asked to tour the USSR was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The band went on to have 17 consecutive Top 10 country songs and, in 2016 marked its bicentennial with “50 Years of Circlin’ Back,” a show and record that included hits such as: The band went on to have 17 consecutive Top 10 country songs and, in
- “Mr. Bojangles”
- “Make a Little Magic”
- “An American Dream”
Manassas
The merging of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame in the early 1970s led to the forming of one of Colorado’s most famous supergroups.
The Flying Burrito Brothers, along with several other musicians, signed on to play with Stills when he met with them in September of 1970. According to engineer Howard Albert, the longest recording session lasted 106 hours.
The band’s album, “Down the Road”, was recorded at the Caribou Ranch studio in Nederland, Colorado, in 1973, and would top out at No. 26 on the album charts in May of that same year.
- “Isn’t it About Time”
- “Pensamiento”
- “Business on the Street”
Firefall
Firefall was formed in 1974 by Rick Roberts and Jock Bartley.
After honing their sound during garage jam sessions, the two added Mark Andes and Larry Burnett before taking to stage for the first time. The band performed at the Good Earth Club in Boulder with the addition of drummer Michael Clarke.
Firefall added keyboardist David Muse in the early days of 1976, adding to its sound. After recording two more hit records, the band was asked to open for Fleetwood Mac on the 1977 “Rumors” tour.
The original lineup of the band has since lost some members, but singles from the original lineup are still available to sample.
- “Just Remember I Love You”
- “You Are the Woman”
- “Cinderella”
Want to check out more Colorado bands? Here is a list of local bands that are making waves.