Album Of The Week: Pure Prairie League's, Two Lane Highway

Two Lane Highway is the third album by American country rock band Pure Prairie League, released in 1975.

The line-up of the band was drastically changed from their previous albums. It was the first album without founding member Craig Fuller, who was the primary songwriter, and vocalist, on their two previous LP's.

In addition to the usual 2-channel stereo version the album was also released by RCA Records in a 4-channel quadraphonic sound version in 1975.

Despite significant personnel changes, Pure Prairie League maintained itself as a successful county-rock band during the 1970s and early '80s, releasing ten albums and enjoying hits including "Amie" and "Let Me Love You Tonight" with different configurations of the group.

Pure Prairie League was formed in Columbus, Ohio, 1970 by singer, songwriter and guitarist Craig Fuller, bass player Jim Lanham, and drummer Tom McGrail, who named the band after a women's temperance group in the 1939 Errol Flynn movie Dodge City.

The band did not sell well enough to reach the charts, and the group fragmented. McGrail had left and been replaced by Jim Caughlan, though Bill Hinds had also drummed with the band for a time.

During the period around Sept. of 1972, Fuller encountered legal difficulties over his claim of conscientious objector status to avoid the draft, eventually serving two years in a hospital instead. He was later pardoned by President Ford. This forced him to leave the group and another influx of band members coming and going occurred in the beginning of 1974.

Just in time for when the touring seemingly was beginning to pay off as radio stations started playing their music and RCA Records re-signed the band.