Pure Prairie League-Bustin´Out (1972)

Pure Prairie League is one of the most important bands in American country rock, often overlooked in the annals of rock, despite a career filled with great works, some of them essential to the history of American popular music. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, their origins date back to mid-1969 when guitarist Craig Fuller, bassist Jim Lanham, and drummer Tom McGrail founded a band they called Pure Prairie League. After securing a contract with RCA Records, they recruited guitarist John David Call and recorded their debut album, which was released in early 1972. The cover of this first release featured the iconic "Luke", a fictional character created by the renowned illustrator Norman Rockwell, who became the group's symbol. Despite the strong country rock repertoire on their debut album, it went largely unnoticed, which encouraged the band to compose and record a second album, "Bustin' Out", released at the end of 1972. However, for this second album, the band had undergone some changes, with only Fuller remaining as a founding member. The rest of the lineup consisted of drummer William Frank Hinds and guitarist George Ed Powell, along with guest appearances from David Bowie's guitarist Mick Ronson, keyboardist Michael Connor, and bassist James Rolleston, among other musicians. This time, they achieved better results thanks to their single "Amie", which charted, and a repertoire of great songs. In the following years, the band maintained a privileged position in the world of American country rock, releasing a series of interesting albums such as "Two Lane Highway" (1975), "If The Shoes Fits" (1976), "Just Fly" (1978), and "Firin' Up" (1981). On this last album, they softened their sound with a more commercial country rock style, achieving their highest chart position. A year later came their final album, "Something In The Night", after which the band disbanded until 2005, when they reunited to release "All In Good Time...", the last album by this American band. Throughout these years, Pure Prairie League have left behind a series of albums and songs that are part of the history of country rock, such as "Amie", "Two Lane Highway", "That'll Be Tha Day", "I Can't Stop The Feelin' ", and "Let Me Love You Tonight", making them one of the undisputed cult bands of North America.