The classic rock band Pure Prairie League was a crazy successful country-rock group in the '70s and early '80s, riding the same country-tinged rock wave that carried the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Poco and The Band to popularity. While others in their era were putting the emphasis on "rock" in the tag "Southern rock," Pure Prairie League chose to keep it as a driving element, but also mixed in a fair amount of bluegrass, country, and Southern boogie.

Influenced by bluesy drive of the Byrds and the seamless fusing of country and rock first introduced by bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers, PPL benefits from tight slide guitar, dueling solos and plenty of jammy Americana. "Two Lane Highway" and "I'll Be Damned" will always be live faves but the tenderness that was stitched into "Amie" is acknowledged to be one of the artistic high points in country-rock history.