The Poor were an American rock band from

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who were active in the 1960s. Included in their roster were

Randy Meisner Randall Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946) is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocal ...

, who would go on to achieve fame with

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

and

Poco Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassi ...

in the 1970s, as well as Allen Kemp and Pat Shanahan, who later joined

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred ...

History

The Poor formed out of the remnants of the Soul Survivors, a garage rock group from Denver Colorado (not to be confused with the Philadelphia group), who had recorded several singles in 1965 and 1966. Allen Kemp, Pat Shanahan and John Day had been in the Soul Survivors. They moved to Los Angeles, California and when upon arriving teamed up with Randy Meisner, previously of the Esquires and later to gain fame in

and

, and Randy Naylor to form the Poor. They were able to sign under the management of Charlie Green and Brian Stone, who handled

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

and

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", relea ...

. They cut their debut

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, "How Many Tears" b/w "Once Again," which was released on the Loma label in October, 1966 and was produced by

Barry Friedman Frazier Mohawk (born Barry Friedman, December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012) was an American record producer and sometime photographer, publicist, circus owner, and farmer. Life and career Friedman attended the Happy Valley School in California. He ...

, who had worked with

and

Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

. Freidman would produce their next two singles, including their follow-up "She's Got the Time, She's Got the Changes," written by Tom Shipley and Michael Brewer, b/w "Love is Real" and "My Mind Goes High" b/w "Knowing You, Loving You," which both were released on the York label in 1967. None of their records received much airplay except "She's Got the Time, She's Got the Changes," which became a minor hit reaching #133 in the charts and has been described by music writer Bruce Eder as "...showing real garage punk attitude as well as a ton of virtuosity and style..." In May 1968, the group released a single on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

"Feelin' Down" b/w "Come Back Baby," but it failed to chart. The group broke up shortly thereafter. Following the breakup of the Poor, Meisner, Kemp, and Shanahan played Rick Nelson's backing group, the Stone Canyon Band. Kemp and Shanahan joined New Riders of the Purple Sage. Meisner would later join Poco, and soon became one of the founding members of popular 1970s rock group the Eagles. Day joined the short-lived group Two Guitars, Piano, Drum and Darryl. All of the Poor's singles were compiled on the 2003 CD compilation ''The Poor,'' which also includes the two singles by the Soul Survivors. The Group's complete recordings are included on the Sonic Past Music anthology, ''Help the Poor: The Complete Recordings of the Poor Featuring Randy Meisner.''

Discography

*"How Many Tears" b/w "Once Again" (Loma 2062, October 1966) *"She's Got the Time, She's Got the Changes" b/w "Love is Real" (York 402, 1967) *"My Mind Goes High" b/w "Knowing You, Loving You" (York 404, April 1967) *"Feelin' Down" b/w "Come Back Baby" (Decca, May 1968)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poor Garage rock groups from California Psychedelic rock music groups from California Folk rock groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles American folk rock groups Decca Records artists