Country Coalition
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1968-70) - Dick (Richard) Bradley (RIP 2004) -- guitar - Peggie Moje -- fiddle, mandolin - John Henry Kurtz (RIP 2008) -- vocals, drums, percussion - Tom Riney (RIP 2023) -- bass
line up 2 (1976) - Dick (Richard) Bradley (RIP 2004) -- guitar - Peggie Moje -- fiddle, mandolin - Tom Riney (RIP 2023) -- bass
supporting musicians (1976) - Stu Dodge -- dobro - Willard Garr -- - Howie Harkema -- drums, percussion - Jerry Mills -- mandolin - Burf Ortner -- - Ron Stephens -- pedal steel guitar - Shorty Wertz --
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- John Henry Kurtz (solo efforts)
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Genre: country-rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Country Coalition Company: BluesWay Catalog: BLS
6043 Country/State: -- Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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I stumbled across "Country Coalition" in an Oregon used record store and bought it based on the fact it was released by ABC's short-lived BluesWay subsidiary (hardly a label known for country, or country-rock acts) and I recognized drummer John Henry Kurtz's name from one of his solo album's I'd purchased somewhere along the way.
No
idea how, or where this short-lived quartet came together. Banjo player Doug
Dillard was supposedly an early member, but left before the band were signed
to a recording contract. The
Nothing more than speculation on my part, but with the single "Time To Get It Together" have breached the lower levels of national sales charts, BluesWay reissued the album under the single's title with new cover art. It didn't do anything for sales. The new cover art certainly didn't do the band any favors.. Big slice of apple pie there guys ...If anyone had been paying attention, I'd suggest the American flag "napkin" wasn't a great sales concept.
"Country
Coalition" track listing: 1.) Your One Man Band (Billy Fox - January Tyme - Thomas Kaye) - 3:45 rating: **** (4 stars) Opening up with some awesome organ and Bradley's fuzz guitar, their cover of the Three Dog Night hit (released under the title "One Man Band") was great, though it proved an atypical straight ahead rocker. I'm guessing that had Three Dog Night enjoyed a massive hit with their cover, this would have been Country Coalition's breakthrough single. 2.) Second-Hand Sundown Queen (Larry Murray) - 3:08 rating: **** (4 stars) The ballad "Second-Hand Sundown Queen" boasted one of the album's prettiest country-rock melodies. Kurtz and Moje's voices blended together nicely and Riney's bass line was fantastic. 3.) Sweet Sweetheart (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) - 2:15 rating: *** stars Given a nice, rock-ish arrangement, their cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Sweet Sweetheart" was actually better than King's own 1970 version of the tune. 4.) Poverty (Dave Clark - Pearl Woods) - 2:38 rating: *** stars Kurtz actually had a great voice and it showed on "Poverty:". Musically the "life is tough as a blue-collared worker" song had a distinctive "Bakersfield" country feel. Nice Mama and the Papas-styled backing vocals. 5.) Life's Little Ups and Downs (Charlie Rich) - 3:05 rating: **** (4 stars) "Life's Little Ups and Downs" had previously been a hit for Charlie Rich. The remake ditched the overt country sound for a breezy country-rock melody while staying true to Rich's "strength-of-love" lyrics. There's was something very early-'70s and endearing in "Life's Little Ups and Downs". Imagine Kenny Rogers singing a Clarence Carter penned homage to blue collared marriage. 6.) Time To Get It Together (Smokey Roberds) - 2:35 rating: **** (4 stars) Written by former The Parade member Smokey Roberds (aka "Freddie Allen), Time To Get It Together" was a weird, but highly commercial mash-up of bubblegum pop, country-rock and pseudo non-secular sentiments. Certainly not what I expected to hear; let alone something released by a label like BluesWay, but charming. Released as a single the track provided the band with their lone commercial hit.
- 1970's "Time To Get It Together" b/w "How Do I Love You" (BluesWay catalog number 45-61034) # 96 Billboard Top-100 pop charts
(side
2) The orchestrated "How Do I Love You" was the album's most pop-oriented performance and with the glistening group harmonies would have been a nice AM single. Inexplicably the song was relegated to the "B" side on their "Time To Get It Together" single. 2.) November Monday (C. Douglas - Carole Bayer - Toni Wine) - 2:32 rating: *** stars If you are skeptical of The Mamas and the Papas influences, then check out "November Monday". 3.) Think About Now (Dick Bradley) - 2:35 rating: *** stars One
of two originals, "Think About Now" was an engaging slice of
singer-songwriter folk-rock. Kind of a depressed Glenn Campbell vibe
on this one. Showcasing Moje on lead vocals, "Giving Up Trying To Please" was a sweet, breezy country-tinged ballad The track made me wonder why didn't feature her voice more often. 5.) Age of Angels (Kenny Loggins) - 2:30 The
second Kenny Loggins composition, "Age of Angels" was worth
hearing for the sarcastic lyrics and lovely chorus. The song also
appeared as the "B" side on their non-LP "Take To the
Mountains" single. "Longing To Be Free" opened up as a needless slice of straightforward bluegrass, before abruptly shifting to a stark, "churchy" harmony-rich ballad.
There are also a pair of non-LP promotional 45s. Both "Take To the Mountains" and "Keepin' Free" were included on the soundtrack to the film "Lovers and Other Strangers" (ABC catalog number SW-93479)
- 1970's "Take To the Mountains" b/w "Age of Angels" (ABC catalog number 45-11279) - 1970's "Keepin' Free" b/w "Think About Now" (ABC catalog number 45-11286)
With the band calling it quits, Kurtz struck out with an abbreviated solo career, culminating in the release of 1972's "Reunion" (ABC catalog number ABCX 742). The album was notable for including a cover of Mentor Williams' "Drift Away" - recorded and released as a single prior to Dobie Gray's massive success with the song. Living in Cap May, New Jersey, Kurtz passed away from cancer in March 2008. It's one of the strangest memorials I've ever come across, but there's a Kurtz website that appears focused on capitalizing on his voice and previous work in commercials and television: John Henry Kurtz | Voice Over Welcome to the world of artificial intelligence.
I've never seen, or heard it, but Bradley, Moje and Riney regrouped for a second album - 1976's "Potato Pickers" (White Cloud Records catalog number #S-5022). Judging by song titles such as "Old & In The Way" and a cover of "Rocky Top" the sophomore album was much more country-oriented than the debut.
Bradley moved to Portland, Oregon remaining active in the local music scene. He passed away from a brain tumor in February 2004. Richard Bradley Obituary (2004) - Portland, OR - The Oregonian
Living in Portland, Oregon Moje's gone on to make a name for herself as a talented painter. I suspect she'll be okay with me providing a link to her website. Peggie Moje - About the Artist
Riney largely retired from music moving to Idaho's Wood River Valley, becoming a farmer and a horse farrier. He passed away from cancer in November 2023. I found a link to his obituary at: Thomas Everett Riney Obituary Nov 29, 2023 - Wood River Chapel
© Scott R. Blackerby July, 2026
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album credits list the band as featuring guitarist
Dick Bradley, fiddle player Peggie Moje, singer/drummer John Kurtz and
bassist Tom Riney . How they got signed the BluesWay would make for an
interesting story. Recorded at Hollywood's Eldorado Studios, 1970's
"Country Coalition" teamed the band with producer
Bob Todd. Exemplified by performances like Carole King's
"Sweet Sweetheart" and Kenny Loggins' "Age
of Angels" the
album's twelve tracks were largely cover material, given an interesting
country-rock/country-pop flavor. There aren't any in-depth reviews out
there, but the one common string you'll see is comparisons to The
Seekers/The New Seekers. (That might also explain why a couple of
on-line references indicated the band were from New Zealand.) Kurtz
had a great voice and when he and Moje blended their voices the results were
fantastic - checkout the sweet "Second-Hand Sundown Queen".
The collection also showcased some nice group harmonies ("How Do I Love
You"), but to my ears songs like "Poverty", "November
Monday" and
"How Do I Love You" sounded more like The Mamas and the Papas
hanging around with an early incarnation of Poco, or perhaps a more
commercial Dillard and Clark. The album was certainly not what I expected,
but had an odd, low-key charm.
