The band was composed of guitarist Rick Springfield, drummer Joe Vitale, and keyboardist Bernie Worrell, backing up Meryl Streep, as "Ricki", on vocals and guitar.

In December 1986, the Walsh band joined Albert Collins and Etta James for a Jazzvisions taping called “Jump the Blues Away.” Rosas met Neil Young at the Farm Aid III benefit and Young was impressed with the bass player's musical skill as well as his soft-spoken, laid back manner, and invited him to join his new horn-driven big band, the Bluenotes.

Rick Rosas played on Young's next album, Chrome Dreams II which saw the release of the 1988 Bluenotes track "Ordinary People".

A concert film, Neil Young Trunk Show, directed by Jonathan Demme, captured a 2007 performance in Philadelphia.

He and drummer Joe Vitale joined the remaining original members Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay.

A six-show mini-tour followed in June 2011 with concerts in Oakland, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and the Bonnaroo music festival but a planned fall tour was cancelled.

Rick Rosas passed away while at home, on November 6, 2014, in Agoura Hills, California from pulmonary hypertension with cardiac arrest.