Craig Fuller

Last updated
Craig Fuller
Born (1949-07-18) July 18, 1949 (age 74)
Genres Country rock, funk, Blue-eyed soul
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar

Craig Lee Fuller (born July 18, 1949) is an American musician and songwriter. Fuller was the co-founder of Pure Prairie League, along with John David Call and George Powell.

Contents

Fuller wrote and sang their first hit "Amie". He departed the band in 1973 after their second album, Bustin' Out. He returned to the music business in 1976 for two LPs with American Flyer. After American Flyer dissolved, Fuller returned to record one LP with former Flyer member Eric Kaz.

In 1987 Fuller was hired by Little Feat to front the band, who had long ago noticed an uncanny resemblance in his voice to that of their late founder and frontman, Lowell George. Fuller's first LP with the band was Let It Roll . He recorded two further albums with Little Feat before leaving the band in 1993. He made a guest appearance on their 1996 live album Live From Neon Park . He is one of several guest artists on Little Feat's 2008 album Join the Band duetting with percussionist Sam Clayton on the Lowell George classic "Spanish Moon."

Fuller reformed Pure Prairie League in 1998. [1] This incarnation recorded one album, All In Good Time, released in 2005.

Fuller opened for and sat in with Little Feat on New Year's Eve 2011 at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD, when the band performed their live album Waiting For Columbus in its entirety.

Albums

with J. D. Blackfoot

with Pure Prairie League

with American Flyer

with Fuller and Kaz

with Little Feat

with Doug Prescott

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Country rock is a fusion genre which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal styles, and additional instrumentation, most characteristically pedal steel guitars. Country rock began with artists like Buffalo Springfield, Michael Nesmith, Bob Dylan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The International Submarine Band and others, reaching its greatest popularity in the 1970s with artists such as Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Poco, Charlie Daniels Band, and Pure Prairie League. Country rock also influenced artists in other genres, including The Band, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, and George Harrison's solo work, as well as playing a part in the development of Southern rock.

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Pure Prairie League is an American country rock band which featured in its original lineup, singer and guitarist Craig Fuller, drummer Tom McGrail, guitarist and steel guitarist John David Call. Fuller started the band in 1970 and McGrail named it after a fictional 19th century temperance union featured in the 1939 Errol Flynn cowboy film Dodge City. In 1975 the band scored its biggest hit with the single "Amie", a track that originally appeared on their 1972 album Bustin' Out. Pure Prairie League scored five consecutive Top 40 LPs in the 1970s and added a sixth in the 1980s. They disbanded in 1988 but regrouped in 1998 and continue to perform as of 2023. The line-up has been fluid over the years, with no one member having served over the band's entire history. The band's most recent line-up consists of Call, drummer Scott Thompson, keyboardist Randy Harper, guitarist Jeff Zona and bassist Jared Camic. Among the other notable past musicians to have played with Pure Prairie League include guitarists Vince Gill, Gary Burr and Curtis Wright.

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Bustin' Out is the second studio album by American country rock band Pure Prairie League. Originally released by RCA Records in late 1972, the album garnered renewed interest almost 3 years after its release. By then, band leader Craig Fuller was no longer in the band due to draft board issues.

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References

  1. "clevescene". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19.
  2. Paterson, Beverly (May 9, 2012). "Forgotten series: J.D. Blackfoot – The Ultimate Prophecy (1970)". Something Else!. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Krakow, Steve (August 22, 2019). "Country rockers Pure Prairie League play picks from their long, shape-shifting career". Chicago Reader. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  4. Ruane, Kelsey (July 27, 2010). "Pure Prairie League set to roll into Sellersville". Montgomery News. Retrieved February 12, 2020.