Buffalo Rising Online

When the Buffalo Springfield fell apart so Neil Young and Stephen Stills could eventually re-group as Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the two other major musical entities from that groundbreaking 1960s band to resurface were guitarist Richie Furay and bassist Jim Messina. Both were writers and singers, but loomed in the giant shadow of Stills and Young while in Buffalo Springfield.

Furay and Messina had been nurturing a growing interest in country music and formed a new group called Poco. In what was unheard of at the time, they asked a friend, Rusty Young to join. Young was an accomplished pedal steel guitarist who had planned a career as a country musician, when Furay recruited him for a band that would effectively blend modern country music with upbeat acoustic driven rock 'n' roll. Signed to Epic Records, under the watchful eye of CBS Music, Furay and Messina assembled a strong band of mostly California players, all of whom were interested in the merging of folk-rock and country. Also in the initial lineup was drummer George Grantham and bassist Randy Meisner.

Decades from now, rock historians will come to view Poco as one of the very first country rock bands that eventually developed what is now known as the Southern California sound that allowed for acts like The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and others to emerge.

Beginning Babel’s second season is Chinua Achebe, born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe on November 16, 1930, a Nigerian novelist, poet and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely-read book in modern African literature.

Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo village of Ogidi in south Nigeria, Achebe gained worldwide attention for Things Fall Apart in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). He has also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. He is currently the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Spend an enjoyable evening with Joe DiDomenico, President of the Western New York Orchid Society, as he walks us through orchid basics. Go to www.buffalogardens.com or call 716.827.1584 ext. 291 to register.