Songs You May Have Missed #65

Pure Prairie League: “Memories” (1975)

Pure Prairie League had more than its share of roster changes over the band’s lifespan. Original lead vocalist Craig Fuller, who sang on their most enduring hit, “Amie”, had to leave the band to serve a sentence for draft evasion (he was later given a full pardon by President Gerald Ford).

“Memories” is from their next album, 1975’s Two Lane Highway, and features vocalist Larry Goshorn, who left in 1978 to form a band called the Goshorn Brothers (hmm, wonder how that turned out?) Also leaving in ’78 was George Powell, the last of the original members, who quit the band to run his pig farm in Ohio. (And the next time you catch yourself daydreaming about how glamorous life in a hit-making band would be, just remember one guy gave it up to be a pig farmer.)

A later incarnation of the band included future country star Vince Gill, who sang on several hits including “Let Me Love You Tonight”.

“Memories” features a beautiful, understated arrangement of piano, acoustic and steel guitars, mandolin and harmony vocals, typifying the 70’s country rock sound.

Every Moment Has A Song