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Biography
Formed by vocalists/guitarists Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek and Greg Beckley, America gained several top ten hits with their soft, lilting melodies and gentle harmonies that floated over their folk-tinged soft rock. The band gained their first exposure after landing a contract with Jeff Dexter, promotor for the Roundhouse concert venue in london, securing the trio high profile support slots at the venue. Soon they were in the studio, recording their debut album by 1970.
With their debut single, America had a hit on their hands, with "A Horse With No Name" becoming a number three hit in the UK in 1972. Their self-titled debut album equally charted well, peaking at number 14. Revved up by their success in the UK, America soon set their sights on conquering the US, supporting the Everly Brothers on their national tour. Their single was then released in the US, becoming a number one hit, establishing the band across the pond. Their second single, "I Need You" and third single "Ventura Highway" became top ten hits, proving the band can produce consistently quality music.These initial successes were acknowledged by the Grammy Awards, receiving an award for "Best New Artist" in 1972.
Their second album, "homecoming," released in January 1973, failed to maintain the momentum of their previous records, unable to break into the top ten of the American charts. However, their next record, this time aided by producer George Martin, sent them back to fame, with "Holiday" peaking at number three and featuring the hit singles, "Tin Man" and "Lonely People." They gained their second number one hit with the single, "Sister Golden Hair," from the 1975 album, "Hearts," releasing a greatest hits album that same year which sold over four million copies.
The latter half of the decade saw popularity for America begin to wane, although they still released a Gold-certified record, "Hideaway," in 1976 and had a handful of top 40 hits through to the mid-1980s. Entering the new millennium, the trio released a set of live albums as well as the encompassing, extensive box set, "Highway," which covered the whole of their career to that point. They were brought back to the studio by longtime fans, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, recording their 2007 album, "Here & Now." The album featured guest artists who had been inspired by America, including Ryan Adams and Nada Surf.
Sadly in 2011, Dan Peek died at the age of 60. The band's legacy and influence was acknowledged through their indictment to the Vocal Group oHall of Fame, as well as receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Live reviews
America is a band I had the privilege of seeing several times back in the seventies. I was in high school when they released " A horse with no name". I saw them at an outdoor arena with a small amount of actual seats but with a Huge grassy area for seating. The Summer of Love (1969) was not that far in the past and a lot of folks were smoking pot on the lawn and just relaxing and having a good time.
Folk music was still pretty popular at the time and although America was not exactly a "Folk" band; they were a kinda of early "Folk/Rock" band. Their mix of acoustic guitars was one of the best parts of the performance. Their vocals are amazing. To this day;forty some years later; I still like to hear their music.
I saw them not long after their debut album came out so they did not have as many songs as they did later in their career. I caught them at another venue some years later and they had a much fuller set list with several "hit" songs. Most of the folks in the audience really enjoyed the show...as did I! The crowd all sand along when they played "Horse with no name". Most venues do not allow drinking these days (let alone "smoking") so the crowd was not quite as laid back. Still...many in the audience knew the lyrics and sang along.
It was great to hear the old songs again but not sure this was the right venue. Very reserved performance. It was more of a medley of their biggest hits rather than a concert. A couple of times they let their guard down and jammed a little but for the most part they played 4/5ths of each hit and moved on to the next song quickly. It was very obvious they were on the clock. Brought back some great memories though so all in all not a total bust.
Newf_ie
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