Pure Prairie League - Rebirth

Rebirth

A decade later, P.P.L. was back with a lineup of Fuller, Connor, Reilly, Burr, Fats Kaplin (pedal steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion, washboard) and Rick Schell (vocals, drums, percussion). After two years, Burr was succeeded by Curtis Wright (vocals, guitars) in June 2000. The group began work on a new album in 2002, yet abandoned the sessions and separated again after Schell became busy with other projects. After a long battle with cancer, Connor died on September 9, 2004.

Following Connor's death, the group resumed touring once again with Fuller, Reilly, Schell, Wright and Kaplin (when available) and released "All in Good Time" in 2005. Their first album in 18 years, this release appeared on the small Drifter's Church label.

Since this time, P.P.L. has continued to tour, playing a handful of shows every year. Donnie Lee Clark replaced Curtis Wright in 2006 after Wright joined Reba McEntire's band. Mike Reilly was sidelined in 2006 after he was forced to undergo a liver transplant. Jack Sundrud (from Poco) came in to sub for Reilly. Rick Plant also did a brief stint with them on bass before relocating to Australia in late 2006. Jeff "Stick" Davis (from Amazing Rhythm Aces) sat-in on bass for Mike in 2007. In May 2007, Reilly appeared at a few shows and played guitar yet was unable to come back full-time until 2008. John David Call played some concerts in 2006 & 2007, standing in for Kaplin, and returned to the band full-time in June 2010.

As of May 2011, it was announced, via the P.P.L. website, that Fuller would not be appearing at all of the band's shows that year since he decided to take a break from touring.

On 10 February 2012, at The Syndicate in Newport, Kentucky, Fuller and George Ed Powell (a frequent guest at their Ohio shows in recent years) took to the stage to join the current P.P.L. lineup of John David Call, Mike Reilly, Rick Schell and Donnie Lee Clark.

In May 2012 Scott Thompson (vocals, drums, percussion) replaced Rick Schell, who departed to pursue a career in real estate.

The band endorses a number of charitable efforts, Pittsburgh's ongoing BurghSTOCK Concert Series among them.

Read more about this topic:  Pure Prairie League

Famous quotes containing the word rebirth:

    [Film noir] experiences periodic rebirth and rediscovery. Whenever we have any moment of deep societal rift or disruption in America, one of the ways we can express it is through the ideas and behavior in film noir.
    John Briley (b. 1925)

    We are constantly thinking of the great war ... which saved the Union ... but it was a war that did a great deal more than that. It created in this country what had never existed before—a national consciousness. It was not the salvation of the Union, it was the rebirth of the Union.
    Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)