Back in the late 1960s, when Pure Prairie League (PPL) first came together, no one knew how to define their specific music style. Drawn from the '60s rock and roll, their sound also had some strong country influences. The unique sound that came out of it soon came to be known as country rock. As a novel band of young musicians, they were playing cover tunes in local bars. A staff member of the RCA caught one of their performance in Cleveland, Ohio. PPL released its eponymous debut record in 1972.

A period of turmoil soon ensued, but the band knew a great success until the late '80s, when Pure Prairie League dismembered. A decade later, they reunited, and have been playing together ever since. More than four decades into the band, Mike Rilley, lead guitarist and band leader, talks to TimesSquare.com about the good and the bad of a life-long band career. Pure Prairie League will be playing at the B.B. King's Blues Club, come July 22nd.

TimesSquare.com: When and how did you first get into music?

Mike Rilley: Everybody in the band had already been playing music for several years. They had been in different cover bands before. So we started playing together at one of the guys' house in Waverly, Ohio, back in the late '60s. As we were playing music, starting to write our first tunes, we decided to try to make a go of it, as a band.

TS: Although you were not part of the first official PPL lineup, you came to be the leader of the band after Graig Fuller, originally lead guitar and vocals, was sentenced to jail time. How did that happen?

MR: They put him in jail for about six months, but we got him out into a hospital job for two years, as alternative service. But when he got out of jail, Graig was just kind of broken, and didn't want to continue with the band. I had basically taken over the band by that time, and just kept it going. Although I was not part of the first lineup, I had known the band members since their beginnings, back in '69.

TS: Pure Prairie League made a comeback in 2005, after 18 years of no recording. At this point, Conner, who played the piano, had lost his battle to cancer and had recently passed away. What made you decide to start recording again, and how was the comeback received?

MR: Actually, we got back together in 1999. We played shows ever since. The album came out in 2005, and we dedicated it to him.

TS: How was the comeback received?

MR: People were glad to hear some new PPL that sort of sounded like the old PPL. The album was well received. We didn't do it on a major label – we released it ourselves and sold it on our website and on the road. It's done very well, we've sold over 125 000 copies!

TS: What advice would you give to a novice band?

MR: Practice practice practice practice practice! If you're passionate about it, you got to stay with it. If you're into it for any other reason, other than the fact that you just have to play, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Music is a passion, not a job!

TS: What's your songwriting process like?

MR: We get an idea, kick things around, bounce them off of each other, and see what we come up with. It's a very organic process. Usually one guy brings an idea in, and the we all sort of collaborate in terms of arrangements and such.

TS: What can you tell us about your upcoming show on July 22nd?

MR: We're going to be combining a lot of the old stuff with some of the new stuff. We brought out songs for this tour that we haven't played since 1973! So there will be a few surprises in there. It's going to be a great show. We're all coming up there to kick some serious butt!
We're looking forward to coming up north. We plan on coming up there to party, so, you know, people should get themselves ready!

TS: What does music mean to you?

MR: Music is something that we sort of almost have to do. It's not a hobby. We've played music our whole lives, that's how we're made our living. Now, that we are 43 years into this band, I don't feel like we have to work as hard. But we love what we're doing, so we're sticking to it!

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