Sixty years ago, members of the Denver group, The Soul Survivors, discovered Randy Meisner while scouting for new bass players at a Battle Of The Bands competition. Here we take a closer look at the band battle and Randy’s first days as a member of the Soul Survivors, including their subsequent move to Los Angeles, where they became The Poor.
A few entertaining vignettes from Randy’s life on the road.
Randy Meisner was a farm boy, who discovered his natural gift for singing at an early age. He had visions of going to California, where “all musicians from the Midwest dreamed of being.” Here we trace his origins, going back to the Volga region of Russia, to his upbringing in rural Nebraska, all the way to the Sunset Strip.
Location: Troubadour, West Hollywood
Taken in 1969 when Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band were still a four-piece.
L-R: Randy Meisner, Pat Shanahan, Rick Nelson, and Allen Kemp.
Drummer Patrick Shanahan, founding member of Denver’s Soul Survivors, their offshoot, The Poor, and later Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band, generously shared his memories with me about his life and career.
Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon band played two weeks Mister Kelly’s from February 22nd to March 7th, 1971.
Partial setlist:
Hello Mary Lou
Easy To Be Free
California
She Belongs To Me
Life
Look At Mary
Honky Tonk Woman
From 1969-1971, Randy was a member of Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band. Here we delve into Randy’s history as a founding member of the group.
Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band performed at the Houston Music Theater on December 27th, 1969.
Below: L-R: Randy Meisner, Rick Nelson, and Allen Kemp
Rick was interviewed the UT/Austin newspaper, The Daily Texan, in the dressing room before the Houston show. Tequila sours were passed around, but Rick declined. The band members were asked what they thought of Rick as a person and performer (no band members were mentioned by name): “A sensitive and fair, understanding and easy-going guy.” The article also included a less-than-positive review of the show. The reviewer felt that Rick exuded no personality and just stood there and sang. He was also criticized for singing too much country and western and not enough of the earlier hits he was known for.
Below: Rick backstage with local Houston rock photographer, Larry Lent.
Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band played an eleven-night stand at the famous Bitter End nightclub in Greenwich Village. It was the first stop on a month-long tour of the East. Although the Stone Canyon Band had been together since the Spring of 1969, they had only played one live date–a week-long stand at the Troubadour in April. The subsequent months were spent rehearsing and recording. Among these recordings was Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band’s first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me,” which was released in August 1969 to coincide with the tour.
Below: watch their performance of Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin'” filmed by David Nelson at the Bitter End. Although we hear pedal steel, there is no steel player on stage. The Stone Canyon Band was only a foursome at this point (Rick Nelson, Randy Meisner, Allen Kemp and Pat Shanahan). The audio here is from Rick Nelson In Concert, recorded at the Troubadour a couple of months later in October 1969, with Tom Brumley on pedal steel. Notice at 1:44 that Randy is playing a red Gibson bass, a switch from his usual gold Fender Precision from this period.
“I’m Walkin'” – Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band, Bitter End, NYC, August 1969
Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band performed two nights at JD’s.
The Arizona Republic noted that Rick was “sharing the spotlight” with a “longhaired bass player”:
Here’s Rick and the band performing their cover of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me” from the Easy To Be Free documentary, directed by David Nelson. At the 1:34 mark, the footage moves from JD’s to their appearance at The Troubadour in Hollywood a week later. The footage is less than perfect. Rick and The Stone Canyon Band’s recorded a cover of “She Belongs To Me” during the summer of 1969. It was released as a single in August to coincide with their tour and became a Top 40 hit.
At the time of the JD’s appearance, the Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band was a four-piece with Randy on bass, Allen Kemp on guitar, and Pat Shanahan on drums. Tom Brumley was added on pedal steel for the Troubadour shows.
Read more about Randy’s tenure as an original member of Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band here:
Photo was possibly taken by Henry Diltz, who took some early photos of the band, according to Randy. The image appears to have been shot outdoors, which matches Diltz’s style.
An overlooked, yet pivotal, period of Randy Meisner’s career took place between 1966 and 1968 when he was a member of the short-lived, Denver garage rock band, The Poor. Here, I hope to provide a comprehensive look at the band’s origins and brief existence on the L.A. music scene during the Summer Of Love.
