I've never been to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. But some day, I'd like to make the journey, if for no other reason than to see the city I grew up in until my second year of high school. As well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You see, I have a new incentive to go now that I've spent some quality time with one of the Inductees of that institution.

His name? Richie Furay. His band's name? The Buffalo Springfield. And if you're wondering what the year was when Buffalo Springfield came out huge on the music scene with "For What It's Worth," it was 1967. Where were you in 1967? Most of you, I have a hunch, weren't even around. I was not only around, I was in my 20's when that one single made it huge and put Buffalo Springfield on the R&R map.

For musician Richie Furay the road over the last 39 years has been filled with highs and lows, not to mention some bumps, both big and small. If there is one part of his life that has remained steady, it has been his marriage to his wife Nancy for those 39 years, though after the first seven years together they ran into rough waters, they separated for a few months, and then came back together and have been together ever since. And through the years, four daughters have come into their life (three are married), and the daughters have produced four grandchildren ("And one on the way", he pointed out).

Buffalo Springfield broke up in 1968, and a year later Furay started the group known as Poco. Why do I think readers of "The Roundup" would be interested in this man's story? Because it is a witness to the amazing power of God and what it has done for this "musician-turned-preacher" for about the last thirty years. It's a story about music, but it's also a story about life and about the power of God.

After the Buffalo Springfield breakup and during the Poco years, Furay found himself totally frustrated with his musical career. "Most of my friends, including guys like Neil Young, were very successful. I realized that Poco would never have that super hit that would launch us into superstardom", he commented when we got together for an interview earlier this week.

When "A Good Feeling To Know" didn't become the song (and album) to launch the group to the next level, Furay moved on and formed a band with Chris Hillman and J.D. Souther. The band needed a guitar player, and Hillman wanted a man named Al Perkins. At first, Furay rejected the idea. Why? Because he had a "fish on his guitar" and was one of those 'Christians,'" he stated. Perkins did become the guitarist, and a few months later led Furay to the Lord and a totally different life.

A few months after that, Perkins invited Furay to a worship service at Calvary Chapel in Southern California, and it's a Calvary Chapel in Broomfield, Colorado, where "Pastor Furay" leads worship to this very day. The Furay family moved to Colorado after getting tired of the Southern California pollution and traffic, and since all the musicians really needed was an airport to fly in and out of, Denver worked out just fine.

After Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and the Souther Hillman Furay Band, Richie Furay became "tired," if that one word really describes his feelings. "I was one of the first Christians coming over from the mainstream world," he stated, and "I got tired of the radio stations telling me I was too rock for country, and too country for rock."

Actually, his dealings with a number of labels left him feeling pretty unhappy with a number of aspects of the music business. "I discovered when I signed with Word (Records), it was very much about money and the bottom line. I understand it's a business, and you would think with Christians it would be a little bit different, but it's not." He did sign with Myrrh Records, a subsidiary of Word, and there were two releases with Myrrh, "I've Got A Reason" (a re-release) and "Seasons Of Change" in the early 80's.

"After the deal with Myrrh went south, I realized that I haven't had good luck with record companies. Period. My relationship with Epic Records (Buffalo Springfield) was so-so, but my contract with Epic was a nightmare because I didn't feel that we got any support from them (in the Poco days)."

He decided to get out of the recording business after "Seasons Of Change", and put his heart and soul into teaching the Bible. He started out with a home Bible study for almost a year, and then moved into a 7th Day Baptist Church for about another year. His next worship was church was in the Boulder (Colorado) Junior Academy, and then, a few years ago, he moved into Broomfield and founded Calvary Chapel, where he can be found preaching, singing and playing his guitar on Sunday mornings.

During his period as a pastor at Calvary, he has continued to come out with different projects. "In My Father's House" was Furay's fifth solo album, and it was recorded under three different labels: Calvary Chapel, Packaderm, and Always An Adventure (AAA). When it came out, Furay contacted hundreds of Christian radio stations, and came out with these thoughts: "If you're not part of the young, hip, Salem Broadcasting Group, you don't get played. I was told I was 'too old', and that 'I didn't fit their standards'. Am I bitter? Yes, I am in a way. There's a lot of good musicians out there that don't get heard because the industry is controlled by big money and big radio. It's a hard road."

I asked him about the Dove Awards, and whether he felt the selections were honest reflections of the industry. "You've got to be kidding, George. Block voting for certain musicians wouldn't surprise me a bit."

While Richie Furay might sound a bit bitter, he looks great for 61 years of age, and he states that he feels better now than he has in years. And let's look at why that's true.

His book, "Pickin' Up The Pieces", is about to be released by Waterbrook Press, which is "the Christian arm of Random House. It will be sold in mainstream bookstores, and I was promised that there are a number of sections in the book with candid, honest reflections like the ones I've been sharing with you in this column.

His first secular album in about twenty-five years has just been released, and it is titled "Heartbeat of Love." Furay called in a few favors with the likes of Neil Young, Steven Stills and Kenny Loggins, and they pitched in on the project that features one his earlier hits, "Let's Dance Tonight". Christian music? His latest is "I Am Sure," and it is a collection of devotional songs that he released under his own AAA label.

What's next for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer? "I have no idea!" he states with honesty and a big grin on his face. He's fully recovered from two hip operations, and as he states, "I've got the energy now to travel and serve the Lord." He continued by stating that he is very happy to "play wherever the Lord opens up the doors."

And if that's not enough, there's the work he's doing for Healing Waters. He personally visited neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic, and is trying to raise, through his own Calvary Chapel Church in Broomfield, the sum of $20,000 to get water into the poorest neighborhoods of various Third World Countries. On the drawing board is a benefit concert, hopefully with some of his good friends that will be familiar names to followers of Rock & Roll.

In case you're wondering, Pastor Richie is a darn good preacher. I've been to a few of his Sunday morning services, and he has a style that is draped with a sense of humor and his own personal experiences. So even if you have never heard "For What It's Worth", you now know "the rest of the story". And if you haven't heard the 1967 megahit, you might just want to check it out!