Many know my love of music and even of my preference among artists. Sometimes it permeates my work. My all-time fave song, All Right Now, dates back to when I was 14 going on 15. It upset me when Free broke up but a successor band with its drummer and lead singer, did not play that song in early concerts and not in any I attended in their latest iteration (though they do play it).

Yet neither of those bands get my vote for favorite band; Poco remains my favorite but only one original remains. Its current and longest-serving bass-player, Jack Sundrud also enjoys Free and I shared links to YouTubes of various live Free cuts with him. Wonder if Andy Fraser’s great bass line in the middle of All Right Now influenced Jack to take up the bass.

My favorite Poco song, A Good Feelin’ To Know, should have been the song that blasted the band to top-level status. Take It Easy came out around the same time and Eagles took flight. Did you know the original Eagles bass player held that status in Poco first? His successor in Poco succeeded him in Eagles. And of course each sang lead on the two biggest Eagles hits, Take It To The Limit (Randy Meisner) and I Can’t Tell You Why (Timothy B. Schmit). Paul Cotton wrote Bad Weather which pushes Good Feelin’ for #1 in my Poco pantheon. I still recall one of my fave WNEW-FM dee-jays saying after playing it you need to go far and wide to find a better tune.

Richie Furay who wrote and sang lead on Good Feelin’ wrote and sang many of my other fave songs, including his biggest hit, Fallin’ In Love with the Souther Hillman Furay Band, his first post-Poco effort. When I see Richie in concert with his own band, so many of his tunes top my list that invariably something fails to make the setlist. It was a real treat when he played Make Me A Smile at B.B. King’s in 2007. Interestingly some of Richie’s newer tunes really work for me, including Heartbeat of Love (the man seems to write a lot of love songs) and We Were The Dreamers about Poco from his 2015 CD, Hand In Hand.

My favorite artist, John Fogerty, wrote many a hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Many talk of Proud Mary or Fortunate Son. For me, Up Around The Bend, really works and it’s my go-to song when I start a new project.

I find most of my fave songs go back to my teens through college. This includes Long Promised Road and Sail On Sailor by the Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen’s Rosalita (also the fave of a certain member of congress who I hope get a bigger role in the next one), This Time It’s For Real by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (penned by E-Street Band’s “Little Steven”). Close To The Edge by Yes, Question by The Moody Blues, Savoy Brown’s Doin’ Fine, Genesis’ Follow You, Follow Me, Allmans’ Blue Sky, Traffic’s Glad, Al Kooper’s Brand New Day, Marshall Tucker’s 24 Hours At a Time, The Byrds’ Chestnut Mare and I Feel A Whole Lot Better, Roger McGuinn’s Don’t You Write Her Off, Paul Revere and The Raiders’ Ups and Downs, The Who’s Baba O’Riley, Dead’s Playing In The Band, Neil Young’s Times Fades Away, Jethro Tull’s Windup, Jackson Browne’s Before The Deluge, Grand Funk’s I’m Your Captain, Derek & The Dominos’ Keep On Growin’, The Band’s cover of Don’t Do It.

One song, Squeeze’s Black Coffee in Bed came AFTER I became a lawyer. Whether Glenn Tilbrook solo or with Squeeze, being present during a live rendition aways give a lift; it’s one of those ultimate audience participation songs and you need to be there to experience it.

So what songs work for you and for how long?

Happy Thanksgiving!