Several years ago, I was sitting in my little Colorado Springs apartment, folding laundry and watching one of those late night infomercials. This one featured “oldies” music, and I found myself watching the TV more than folding. Most of the music was from the “Laurel Canyon” era, and I hadn’t seen most these bands or performances before.
The song “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield came on, and it was entertaining to see the different characters pop onto the screen.
The song itself is so prolific of an era, so it easily caught my attention, yet none of the singers looked familiar (despite two of them being Stephen Stills and Neil Young!)
One young man stood out to me for some reason, a guitarist, and I didn’t know why. He had a “Gilliganesque” charm about him. And despite them all looking very 1960’s hippy, he still looked different than the others.
I felt prompted to do an internet search to see if I could find out who he was. I had no idea if he was still alive (as many from that era died at an early age) or if he made other music.
I sure knew I hadn’t heard anything from Buffalo Springfield in a while.
In my search, I soon found out the names of the band members, including Stills and Young from still yet to come “Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.”
The name of the young guitarist was Richie Furay.
Being the consummate researcher, once I found the name of this man in the yellow turtleneck singing about creeping paranoia, I curious to know his story.
He had such a boyish charm, so what happened? Where’d he go?Drugs? Manson? Untimely car crash? I had to dig a bit.
“Senior Pastor at Calvary Boulder Valley.”
Wait, what? He found Jesus? No way!
Well, that explained why he stood out to me.
I made myself a promise to go visit the church when I had the chance, as it was only about 90 minutes from me.
As I continued to read more about him, I felt like an idiot for not knowing who “this guy” was. He’s had an amazing life.
The Canyon
Upon hearing an “electrified” version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds in 1966, Richie and his friend and former bandmate Stephen Stills formed Buffalo Springfield (along with Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin.) This band was only together for three years, yet were were a major draw for the iconic Summer of Love Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. They released the timeless single, “For What It’s Worth”, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
After leaving Buffalo Springfield, Richie and fellow musician Jim Messina formed the band Poco, whose member’s roster reads like the phone book of Laurel Canyon: Rusty Young, Randy Meisner, George Grantham, Timothy B. Schmit, Paul Cotton…
He left Poco in 1974 to form the Souther Hillman Furay Band with JD Souther and Chris Hillman. It was at this point Richie became a Christian and moved to Colorado.
The Richie Furay Band was created releasing the song “I’ve Got a Reason” in 1976. This song is a beautiful Ecclesiastical reflection on his life and purpose.
By 1983, he was the senior pastor at Calvary Chapel.
Many of his contemporaries had gone on to have household names, and #1 hits, but that seemed to elude him, which is why his face, and even name weren’t instantly recognizable to me.
Rocky Mountain Way
In August of 2017, I attended the Colorado Music Hall of Fame Induction Concert, posthumously honoring my all-time favorite artist, Dan Fogelberg. Dan had passed from prostate cancer ten years earlier, and I had often regretted not meeting him when I had the chance.
Several well-known artists performed, including Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, and Joe Walsh, all pouring their hearts into Dan’s soulfully written music, and the audience was swept into continuing waves of emotion.
And then Richie Furay got up and sang “Don’t Lose Heart”, one of Dan’s songs Richie had recorded for the 2015 album, “Hand in Hand.” It was extremely moving, and as I was sitting at this memorial tribute for a musician I had a chance to meet and didn’t, I remembered I was going to go visit the Calvary Church.
After the concert, I told a few of my musician friends that I finally got to hear Richie sing live, and how wonderful it was. One of them asked, “Did you go say hi?”
“Of course not!” I responded.
“Hey, everyone likes to know they’ve had an effect on people.”
Okay. Maybe someday.
Before I got a chance to make it up to the church, I found out he had retired as Senior Pastor. I was bummed about that, but quickly found out that he started playing concerts again, which was great news!
I watched, waited, and started following him on social media, absolutely loving his conviction as a Christian.
Just Say Thank-You Already
In 2023, it came time for me to move back to my home state of Minnesota. My parents are in Minnesota, my daughters are in Minnesota, and I could feel the tug of the Holy Spirit guiding me back.
When I left Colorado, I said goodbye to a few things: my beloved KRDO, Blue Bell ice-cream, good Mexican food (don’t mock me for this. Have you tried MN Mex?) the awesome Radiant Church, just to name a few.
Shortly after I got to my new place in Minnetonka, I saw an ad on Facebook: “Richie Furay: November 2nd at Hopkins Center for the Arts.”
Three miles away from me. Three weeks away.
My little fingers couldn’t type fast enough to buy a ticket.
80 is the new 60
Richie, his talented friend Dan, and his beautiful and gifted daughter Jesse were amazing.
He wove wonderful stories of people and music together as he sang from his collection of songs. I could have sat and listened to the stories all night. Leading the audience in worship, we sang his beautiful song, “Overflow.” He lit up the room.
Let It Shine
While Richie Furay may not have achieved the same level of fame or commercial success as Stills or Young, his influence is undeniable. As a founding member of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, he was part of two of the most significant bands in the development of country-rock and the California sound.
As I came to know more of his story, through podcasts, music, documentaries and writings, something became abundantly clear: he prioritized faith and family over notoriety. He had to make a conscious choice, as no doubt he saw carnage all around him as the wrecking ball of mainstream fame claimed marriages, friendships and lives.
Yet as Matthew 5:16 says, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden” Richie’s contributions to music have been like a thread of light, woven through a tapestry of time.
And his roles as a pastor, mentor, and spiritual leader add a deeper layer to his life and legacy. Who’s this guy? Somebody you should know.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Recommended:
“Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time”
Discography
Upcoming Documentary
