"Rose of Cimarron" is a song by country rock band Poco from their Rose of Cimarron album, written by original member Rusty Young.
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Inspiration
Rusty Young said of the song: "'Rose of Cimarron' is a song I wrote after I picked up a brochure while [Poco] were on tour in Oklahoma in 1973. It told a story of a woman who took in outlaws in the 1800s. She fed them, mended their wounds and sent them on their way. Or so they say. ... [W]hen I played 'Rose' for the band, everyone wanted to make it a Poco record." The lead vocals on the song were performed by Paul Cotton and Timothy B. Schmit. In a June 7 2013 interview with Rockin' Rich Lynch of SoundPress.net Radio Network, Cotton, whose tenure with Poco would be second only to Rusty Young's, would describe "Rose of Cimarron" as being his favorite Rusty Young composition. Issued as a single, "Rose of Cimarron" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1976 peaking at #94.
Covers
The song was covered by Emmylou Harris on her 1981 album Cimarron.