You'd never know of the legendary influence of Neil Young just by looking at his track record on the Top 100. Young has had an interesting career over the decades, beginning in 1965 with his time in the Mynah Birds, which featured Rick James on vocals. From 1966-1969 he was in Buffalo Springfield. Outside of adventures as a part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, he's been primarily a solo artist (sometimes with his band, Crazy Horse), earning him adoration from more recent acts like Pearl Jam, who christened Young as the "Godfather of Grunge." Young first hit the charts as a solo artist in 1970 when "Cinnamon Girl" went to #55. His breakthrough hit arrived in 1972 when the classic "Heart Of Gold," which features Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals, soared to #1. He followed this up with what would become his last Top 40 hit to date: "Old Man," which got to #31 later that year. His last chart appearance was when "Little Thing Called Love" stalled at #71 in 1983. Despite not breaking onto the charts, many of Young's rockers and ballads have become familiar classics, including "Down By The River," "The Needle And The Damage Done," "Southern Man," "Rockin' In The Free World," and "Harvest Moon." "Philadelphia" showcases Young's softer side and may just be one of the most beautiful songs ever written that most people have forgotten about or never heard. It can be found on the soundtrack to the 1993 movie of the same name.
While similar to The Eagles in many respects, including personnel at times, Poco did not share the same success on the charts. They never cracked the top 10, but are known for popular tunes like "Crazy Love" (#17), "Heart Of The Night" (#20), "Under The Gun" (#48), and a come-back hit of sorts from 1989, "Call It Love" (#18). Poco began with Rusty Young and members of Buffalo Springfield, including Jim Messina, who would later team up with Kenny Loggins to achieve a string of hits as Loggins and Messina. Two musicians in Poco who later joined The Eagles were Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit. The height of the band's popularity has in the late 70s, largely thanks to their album called "Legend." "Little Darlin'" is one of the gems tucked away on that strong record, buried beneath the big singles. The band's last chart appearance was in 1990, when "Nothin' To Hide," penned by Richard Marx, peaked at #39.
Before Kenny Loggins became an undisputed superstar and soundtrack king, he struck gold as a duo with the great Jim Messina. Messina has also been in other bands, including Buffalo Springfield and Poco. Loggins and Messina's first big hit was the classic, "Your Mama Don't Dance," which soared to #4 in 1972. They would not achieve another top 10 hit, but scored top 20 hits with "Thinking Of You" (#18) and "My Music" (#16). Before dissolving in 1975, the boys made several albums mixing country, folk, and rock jams. Kenny started exploring his softer acoustic side with classics everyone knows and loves like "Danny's Song," "House At Pooh Corner," and "A Love Song." Surprisingly, none of these well-known favorites made an appearance on the charts. "Growin'" stalled on the charts at #52 in 1975, taken from their album "Mother Lode." It deserved better and could have breathed new life into the duo, but then again that might have stopped Kenny from embarking on his impressive solo career.
