Colorado’s Fabulous Steel Guitar Musician – Rusty Young
Rusty Young
From Country Steel to Country Rock!
We are proud to add Rusty Young to the Bop Rock Pop Honor Roll
(Norman Russell “Rusty” Young passed away in his home in Missouri on April 14th, 2021 – He was 75)
Rusty Young – The Early Days
I had the honor of attending Rishel Junior High School with Rusty Young back in 1961 and 1962. In 1961, Rishel was a brand new Denver Jr High – drawing students from three regions of west and southwest Denver.
One of my favorite fellow classmates was Rusty Young. Rusty was very popular at school in a friendly low-key way. He was a very good student and active in school events and organizations. But more than anything he was a fun guy!
Graduates of Rishel would head for three different Denver area public high schools including my school – Denver West, Denver South and a very new school at the time compared to West and South – Abraham Lincoln.
Rusty was born Norman Russell Young in Long Beach, California on February 23rd, 1946. His family moved to Denver, Colorado and at the age of six, Rusty took up the guitar. I don’t believe any of Rusty’s junior high classmates were aware of his ability. Rusty first played country music and even found himself performing in some Denver ‘honky tonks’ at a very early age – pre-teen in fact. He had an appreciation of rock founders like Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry – and not surprisingly – he appreciated the steel guitar work of Santo and Johnny – most notably the steel guitar work of Santo Farina.
Rusty would head to Lincoln where one of his fellow classmates was another soon-to-be-known Denver musician – Pat Shanahan. Pat would go on to play with Denver’s Esquires who then evolved into the Soul Survivors.
Shanahan and fellow band member, the late Allen Kemp would continue on together first with Denver’s Poor (with Randy Meisner), then with Rick Nelson as the Stone Canyon Band and then onto the New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Rusty and Pat played together in a trio at a small bar located in North Denver on Federal Blvd. called the “Stag Bar”. It was all country music at the Stag with Rusty on steel, pat on guitar and a third member playing stand-up bass. Also, Shanahan recalled Rusty often breaking into a Hawaiian number showcasing the lap steel. In another interview Rusty spoke about his love of the instrument which gained popularity after WW II when U.S. servicemen returned to the mainland after passing through or being stationed in Hawaii.
Rusty’s grandmother and grandfather who also lived in Colorado – were both musicians and he attributes much of his musical/song writing ability to his grandmother who also composed songs.
By the time Rusty was 16 he was providing guitar lessons in a local music store after school, “Don Edwards Guitar City” located at 9865 West Colfax in Lakewood. Edwards’ store was a big gathering place for steel guitar players and they came from all over the nation to purchase fine instruments.
One of those was a pedal steel player by the name of Don Buzzard – He would be a major influence in Rusty’s pursuit of the instrument. And, according to one interview with Rusty – it would be one of Young’s guitar students from Don Edwards’ store who would put him in contact later with Richie Furay and Jim Messina.
After finishing up at Don Edwards Rusty would perform locally for three or four more hours – generally with country combos.
Böenzee Cryque
He became a member of the Böenzee Cryque in 1966, replacing an original member at the invite of drummer member George Grantham. Böenzee Cryque provided Rusty with an opportunity to begin playing more rock and roll – (though he didn’t ever abandoned his love of country – and it would take him far).
The group had formed in 1964 with original members Joe Neddo (sax), Dan Nash (guitar), Sam Bush (bass), Bill DeLugt (keyboards) Jim Jensen (guitar), Terry Jones (guitar) and Tad Collier (drums.
By late 1965/early 1966, there would be many personnel changes. Collier was replaced by drummer George Grantham and it would be Grantham who would get Rusty to sign up – making Young perhaps the first steel guitar player to play with a rock and roll group. At the time Young signed on with the Cryque he was studying business at the University of Colorado. Besides steel, Rusty would also play guitar when needed.
Boenzee Cryque, like several other Colorado area groups of the day, were ‘discovered’ by talent scout/song writer Frank Slay.
Slay would visit the Mile High State often – sometimes as often as every two months, where he would see the Fender Benders, the Rainy Daze, the Monocles, the Higher Elevation and the Boenzee Cryque.
Slay would head up a new label, Chicory, which he founded on the west coast. Two of his signings, the Rainy Daze and the Böenzee Cryque would have their recordings picked up for national distribution by Uni Records.
Slay found another big signing from his time in Denver a few years later – landing the band Sugarloaf of “Green Eyed Lady” fame in 1970.
The Rainy Daze’ “Acapulco Gold” would hit the big time – going to number one in the nation. The Böenzee Cryque would not be so successful – with neither of their two Uni singles managing to dent the Hot 100.
The Böenzee Cryque would replace Denver’s Moonrakers as the house band at the “Rug-ged Room” located at 268 South Piece just off west Alameda.
The band did well in local band competitions and their two singles charted on Denver-area radio stations – most prominently on KIMN Radio.
Böenzee Cryque on Colorado Stages
During Rusty’s residence with the Böenzee Cryque, the group would make several appearances around Colorado – When they opened in June of 1967 for Buffalo Springfield that meeting would bode well for a future alliance.
August 9th, 1966 – Auditorium Arena Denver with The Beach Boys, Moonrakers and Astronauts
August 28th, 1966 – Penrose Stadium Colorado Springs with The Everly Brothers, The Monocles and the The Trolls
October 8th, 1966 – Auditorium Arena Denver with the Mamas and Papas
October 16th, 1966 – University of Colorado Boulder with the Association
1966 – University of Colorado Boulder with the Turtles
March 10th, 1967 – City Auditorium Colorado Springs with the Fantastic Zoo, Kandy Store Prophets, the Northside Mas and the Soul
June 8th, 1967 – Hal Baby’s Denver with The Buffalo Springfield
June 25th, 1967 – Butts-A-Go-Go Colorado Springs with the Geodesic Dome
July 20th, 1967 – Lakeside Amusement Park Denver with the Yardbirds
September 22nd – The Hullabaloo Club Colorado Springs
September 24th, 1967 in Denver (location unknown) with the Grateful Dead – Mother Earth – Captain Beefheart and the Beggar’s Opera Company
May 18th, 1968 – Statewide Woodie Boulder – with the Moonrakers, Leopold Fuchs Hate Band*
*This would be the final appearance for the band – Not known if Rusty appeared with them
Böenzee Cryque on Fabulous KIMN
“Sky Gone Gray b/w Still In Love With You Baby” – Number 8 – March 20th, 1967
“Sky Gone Gray b/w Still In Love With You Baby” – Number 2 – March 27th, 1967
“Still In Love With You Baby” – Number 4 – May 8th, 1967
![KIMN_1967-05-08_1[1]](https://kimsloans.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/kimn_1967-05-08_11.jpg?w=600&h=946)
“Watch the Time” – Pick Hit of the Week – June 17th, 1967
The Springfield Beckons
Called to California by Jim Messina and Richie Furay to play on “Kind Woman” track for the “Last Time Around” long play. There were only the three musicians and so Rusty would contact Böenzee Cryque’s George Grantham to provide rhythm. Also, another musician who was residing in Colorado at the time and who had been a friend and fellow performer around Denver with Rusty was called – Randy Meisner. Randy had been playing with the Colorado ‘all-star’ band called “The Poor” along with members of Denver’s Soul Survivors and Moonrakers and others but had also made his way to southern California at the time that he was contacted by Young with the offer which would launch his career (think “The Eagles”)
The parts were now all in place for the future group which would start off as “Pogo” changing their name to “Poco” when threatened by the cartoon creator of Pogo with infringement. Rusty Young’s time with Poco – the most constant member – is very well documented by so many interviews and stories, that I will leave that to those excellent sources – providing links to many of them below.
Poco
Rusty was the heart and soul of Poco throughout it’s impressive run. The band was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in January of 2015. Click on the link to explore the Poco induction. Poco made the decision to move to Colorado in 1971 as their new home base
Rusty Young Compositions/Discography
From LP – Pickin’ Up the Pieces – Epic 26460 – May, 1969
- Grand Junction
From LP Poco – Epic 26522 – May, 1970
- El Tonto De Nadle Regresa (Young co-writer)
LP Appearance – Elektra 74072 – The Pedal Steel Guitar Album – 1970
From LP Deliverin’ – Epic 30209 – January, 1971
- Medley: Just In Case It Happens/Yes Indeed/Grand Junction/Consequentially So Long (Young co-writer
From LP From the Inside – Epic 30753 – September, 1971
- Hoe Down (Young co-writer
From the LP Crazy Eyes – Epic 32354 – September, 1973
- Fools Gold
From the LP Poco Seven – Epic 32895 – April, 1974
- Rocky Mountain Breakdown
From the LP Cantamos – Epic 33192 – November, 1974
- Sagebrush Serenade
- High and Dry
- All the Ways
From the LP Head Over Heels – ABC 890 – June, 1975
- Lovin’ Arms
- Makin’ Love
- Sittin’ On A Fence
- Us
From the LP Rose of Cimarron – ABC 946 – May, 1976
- Rose of Cimarron (number 94 Hot 100)
- Stealaway
- Company’s Comin’
- Slow Poke
From the LP Indian Summer – ABC 989 – April, 1977
- Downfall
- The Dance/When the Dance Is Over/Go On and Dance/Never Gonna Stop
From The LP Legend – ABC 1099 – November, 1978
- Spellbound
- Little Darlin’
- Love Comes Love Goes
- Crazy Love (number 17 Hot 100 – number 95 Country)
- The Last Goodbye
- Legend (number 103 Bubbling Under)
From the LP Under the Gun – MCA 5132 – July, 1980
- While We’re Still Young
- The Everlasting Kind (number 106 Bubbling Under)
- Footsteps Of A Fool (Shaky Ground)
- Reputation
- A Fool’s Paradise
- Made Of Stone
From the LP Blue and Gray – MCA 5227 – July, 1981
- Glorybound
- Blue and Gray
- The Writing On the Wall
- Widowmaker
- Sometimes (We Are All We Got)
- The Land of Glory
From the LP Cowboys and Englishmen – MCA 5288 – February, 1982
- Ashes (Young co writer)
- Feudin’
From the LP Ghost Town – Atlantic 80008 – September, 1982
- Ghost Town (number 108 Bubbling Under)
- Shoot For the Moon (number 50 Hot 100)
- Cry No More
- Love’s So Cruel
- When Hearts Collide
- High Sierra
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From the LP Inamorata – Atlantic 80148 – April, 1984
- Daylight
- When You Love Someone
- Save A Corner Of Your Heart
- The Storm
From the LP Legacy – RCA 9694 – September, 1989
- What Do People Know
- Rough Edges (Young co writer)
Solo LP – Blue Elan Records 1052 – Waitin’ For the Sun – September, 2017
45 – Blue Elan Records – Christmas Every Day – December, 2017
45 – Blue Elan Records – Red Wanting Blue – August, 2019
Rusty Young Interviews
(Click on the images to visit – The first one is Rusty’s current web site)
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