I had an opportunity to chat with the members of Pure Prairie League before their Ark show Sunday, August 10th in Ann Arbor. The original band was formed in 1970 by singer/guitarist Craig Fuller with drummer Tom McGrail and pedal steel guitarist John David Call, musician friends from Waverly, Ohio. They had their final show in 1988 and a decade later longtime bassist and current manager Mike Reilly formed a new Pure Prairie League. Since then there have been countless iterations of the band with countless band member and instrument changes through the years…..so many that PPL has an impressively detailed and very long Wiki page, covering the decades of the group’s roster of 49 former members.
The current group features Scott Thompson, Randy Harper, Jared Carmic, Jeff Zona, and John Heinrich. I asked how the band has persevered and continues to tour after all these years. Randy replied “We’re pretty true to the sound. Technology has allowed us to sound a little more modern but, as has every configuration through the bands’ history, our group and new LP represent ours and the bands’ personality.” From Jeff: “We bring our own personality musically. We’re different writers and different musicians but we stay with the tradition of having several musicians also do the songwriting.” Asking how has the original sound maintained with all the changes, Jeff replied “I’ve been told my vocal sound is reminiscent of the vocal sounds of Craig Fuller and Vince Gill (member from 1978-1982.) Jared’s voice is bluesy and gravelly. Scott’s is more of a country sound with high harmonies. We’re still a harmony-based band, which is one of the main components of the band.” I also asked about the band’s DNA, which Randy replied with “It’s not a physical blood musical DNA, but we’re all here because we want to be in this band. It took me four years to get in. I fought my way in! I’m the first keyboard player since original keyboardist Michael Connor died in 2004.” They all agreed that what’s been part of the band’s longevity is that members have continuously reinvented themselves . . . drawing from the past while going forward, evolving but maintaining consistency. By the fourth record the band had interchanging members, with no original members. They also agreed that fans appreciate this current group speaking to the original sound of Pure Prairie League, that they audience “has no complaints!”
The Ark was the place to be the evening of August 10th. The air in the theater was full of excitement, as the sold-out crowd eagerly waited for Pure Prairie League to start their show. That energy grew higher and higher through the one-set show, with fans cheering on old PPL songs as well as new. Though the band’s membership has changed hands, literally 50 times in its 55-year existence, the current line-up did a stellar job keeping alive the sound and energy of Pure Prairie League, as the mostly grey-haired crowd were clearly familiar with.
As the newest member joining the band in 2024 and replacing original member pedal steel guitar/banjo/dobro-player John David Call, newest member John Heinrich does justice to Call on pedal steel guitar as well as adding saxophone (oooh – his old tarnished sax was a beauty) to the mix. His many solos on both instruments were highlights and perfection. Of the five, John is the only non-vocalist with the group. When keyboardist/guitar player Randy Harper joined PPL 8 years ago, he was the 50th person to add to the band’s roster of changing musicians. And a perfect addition he is with his witty twang and the pure joy he expressed throughout the evening. Not only did he rock on his keyboard, as the band’s storytelling and jokester MC, Randy did a fine job making sure the audience felt right at home with him and his bandmates. Introduced by Randy as the youngster in the band, songwriter/bass guitarist Jared Camic brings great vocal and bass guitar energy to the band. The first PPL album released in 20 years, last year’s “Back on Track” features original songwriting by Jared along with lead electric/acoustic guitarist Jeff Zona, both joining the band in 2021 and both doing an impressive job carrying forward the band’s familiar sound, especially Jeff’s wide vocal range. Replacing Rick Schell, a band member from 1998–2012, drummer Scott Thompson, the senior member who came on board in 2012, brought a large presence to the stage with huge applauses from the audience for his numerous drum solos and vocal harmonies.
Clearly having a great time on the Ark’s famed stage, and clearly feeling comfortable as the new version of Pure Prairie League, the band performed 15 songs plus one encore, playing familiar older material along with songs from their new release. The hour and a half set included old hits from the 70s such as the original Pure Prairie League’s Big Hit wonder, “Amie,” from their second 1972 album, with the audience being encouraged to sing along, to “Jassman,” “Harvest,” “Out in the Street,” and PPL’s cover of “I’ll Change Your Tire, Merle,” among others. I would guess that their merch table was a sell-out after hearing Jared’s title song “Back on Track,” with its energetic funky Subdudes swamp-rock sound, Jeff’s “I’m the Lucky One;” and “The Beginning,” co-written by Jared and Jeff. The new release was produced and arranged by original PPL member Michael Reilly (1972-1988, 1998-2021) who continues to manage the band. As the show ended, the band invited the audience to meet them at the merch table where they chatted with fans and signed CDs and LPs. As Jared handed me the band’s new CD, I was happy to see the spirit of the Pure Prairie League album covers mascot, Sad Luke, riding a train track side car, honoring the history of the Normal Rockwell-inspired album covers through the last 55 years.
The current Pure Prairie League may not be the original band, but they did a stellar job carrying forward the sound created in 1972 by original members Craig Fuller, Tom McGrail and John David Call. Based on the audience’s enthusiasm and the solid performance by this latest iteration, Pure Prairie League is still going strong. This is 1970s-based country rock at its best and the five-member group were spot-on performing the bands’ familiar country rock sound.