Abramson was able to land a contract with RCA Records. At the behest of the group's roadie (who had also worked for the James Gang) Jim "Westy" Westermeyer, Abramson saw the band at New Dilly's Pub and later signed them to a management contract. Įarly on, the Pure Prairie League was looking for national artist representation and they made contact with a well-known Cleveland based rock and roll promoter, Roger Abramson. Jim Caughlan, who had played guitar and drums with Fuller, Call and McGrail in earlier bands, took over on drums and Jim Lanham from California, formerly of Country Funk, replaced Stokes on bass. In mid-1971, McGrail and Stokes left the band to rehearse with Bill Bartlett but were unable to put a viable band together. They rose to popularity as the house band at New Dilly's Pub in the Mt. Call's steel guitar added country credibility to the band's playlist and sparked guitar duels with Fuller that created the signature sound of the band. Blackfoot) and Robin Suskind (a popular guitar teacher in the University of Cincinnati neighborhood) on guitar and mandola, with John David Call joining the band later that year. In 1970 the first Pure Prairie League line-up was Fuller, McGrail, singer/songwriter/guitarist George Ed Powell (a popular Cincinnati folk singer), Phill Stokes (bassist in Columbus bands Sanhedrin Move and J.D. Craig Fuller, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call had played together in various bands since high school, notably the Vikings, the Omars, the Sacred Turnips and the Swiss Navy. Among the other notable past musicians to have played with Pure Prairie League include guitarists Vince Gill, Gary Burr and Curtis Wright.Īlthough the band has its roots in Waverly, it was actually formed in Columbus, Ohio and had its first success in Cincinnati. The band's most recent line-up consists of Call, drummer Scott Thompson, keyboardist Randy Harper, guitarist Jeff Zona and bassist Jared Camic. The line-up has been fluid over the years, with no one member having served over the band's entire history. They disbanded in 1988 but regrouped in 1998 and continue to perform as of 2021. Pure Prairie League scored five consecutive Top 40 LPs in the 1970s and added a sixth in the 1980s. In 1975 the band scored its biggest hit with the single " Amie", a track that originally appeared on their 1972 album Bustin' Out. Fuller started the band in 1970 and McGrail named it after a fictional 19th century temperance union featured in the 1939 Errol Flynn cowboy film Dodge City. Retrieved September 13, 2015.Pure Prairie League is an American country rock band whose origins go back to 1965 and Waverly, Ohio, with singer and guitarist Craig Fuller, drummer Tom McGrail, guitarist and drummer Jim Caughlan and steel guitarist John David Call. ^ "Pure Prairie League Chart History (Hot 100)".^ "Pure Prairie League – Chart history".^ Nicholson, Jessica (5 December 2011)."Forty Years Later, 'Amie' Still a Fan Favorite". Garth Brooks covered the song on the "Melting Pot" disc of his four CD boxed set Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences released in 2013. Ĭounting Crows covered the song on their 2011 album of covers, Underwater Sunshine. Singer Brent Anderson included a portion of "Amie" in his 2011 single "Amy's Song", which featured backing vocals from Craig Fuller and Vince Gill. Wesley Willis covered the song to critical acclaim on his 1999 album Greatest Hits Vol. Travis Tritt covered the song on Randy Scruggs' 1998 album, Crown of Jewels. Lonestar covered the song on their 1997 album Crazy Nights, and included it as the B-side to the album's single " Say When". Rock historian John Einarson, citing the song's "lilting harmonies and subtle acoustic playing," called it "a classic of the country rock genre." Cover versions ĭouble Eagle covered the song on the 1986 album Fire On The Prairie.
In his book Music: What Happened?, musician and music critic Scott Miller described the song as "quintessentially 1972" and "lovely." Mike DeGagne of Allmusic called it "a charming little country-pop tune" and "their most memorable," praising its melody and Craig Fuller's lead vocals. Its airplay led RCA Records to re-sign Pure Prairie League after having previously dropped them.
The song was written by Craig Fuller and was originally recorded by the band on their 1972 album Bustin' Out, but was not released as a single until 1975, following a suggestion by critic and Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye at an RCA release party after gaining popularity on college and commercial radio stations as an album cut.
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