America was one of my favorite bands growing up.

America are an English-American folk rock band, originally composed of members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. The three members were barely past their teenage years when they became an overnight musical sensation in 1972. They reached a peak in popularity in the early to mid 1970s and early 1980s. Among the band’s best known songs are “A Horse with No Name,” and “Sister Golden Hair” (both of which reached Number 1), “Ventura Highway,” and “Tin Man“.

Although their music was frequently derided by critics, from a commercial standpoint the band’s singles and albums were exceptionally successful. They were popular enough to attract the services of famed Beatles producer George Martin for a run of seven albums. The band survived the loss of one of its original members near the peak of its success only to see Beckley and Bunnell return the act to the top of charts as a duo with “You Can Do Magic” in 1982. Touring for well over three decades, America maintains a following and performs over 100 shows per year. On January 16,2007, America released Here & Now, the band’s first major label studio album in over twenty years.

Sons of American fathers and British mothers, their fathers being military personnel stationed at the United States Air Force installation at RAF West Ruislip, London, all three attended London Central High School, at High Wycombe in the mid-1960s where they met while playing in two different bands.

Peek left for the United States for an abortive attempt at college in 1969. Upon his return to the UK the following year, the three hooked up and began to collaborate on making music. Starting out with borrowed acoustic guitars, they developed a sound which incorporated three-part vocal harmony in the vein of contemporary folk-rock acts like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Eventually the trio dubbed themselves America, honoring the name of the homeland they had hardly ever seen during their many travels around the world. The liner notes to the 1975 compilation album “History- America’s Greatest Hits”, state the band took their name while listening to an Americana juke box. They played their first gigs in pubs and clubs in the London area, including some highlights at the Roundhouse, where Pink Floyd had played at the beginning of its career.

Their first LP was recorded at Trident Studios in London and produced by Ian Samwell. Samwell was best known as Cliff Richard’s lead guitarist and the writer of his 1958 breakthrough hit, “Move It“. Jeff Dexter, Ian’s roommate and a fixture in the London music scene, co produced the album and became the trio’s manager. Dexter also gave them their 1st major gig, December 20th 1970, at “Implosion” at the The Roundhouse4 Chalk Farm as the opening act to The Who, Elton John, Patto and The Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band & Choir for a Christmas charity event. Although the trio initially envisioned recording the album along the lines of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s  Lonely Hearts Club Band, Samwell steered them toward perfecting their acoustic style instead.

The album, simply titled America, was released in 1971 to only moderate success, although it took off in Holland where Dexter had taken them as a training ground to hone their stagecraft. Samwell and Dexter subsequently brought the trio to Morgan Studios to record several additional songs. One of them was a piece written by Bunnell called “Desert Song”, which Dexter had made an earlier demo of during studio rehearsals in Puddletown, Dorset at the home of Arthur ‘God of Hellfire’ Brown. The song had its public debut at The Harrogate Festival, four days later, to great audience response. After several performances and a TV show, it was re-titled “A Horse with No Name”. The song became a major worldwide hit in early 1972. America’s debut album was re-released with the hit song newly added, and quickly went platinum. The album spawned a second major chart hit with Beckley’s “I Need You”, which peaked at #9 on the U.S. charts.

Flush with success from their initial offering, the trio decided to dump Samwell and Dexter, and relocate to Los Angeles, California. Plans to record a follow-up album were delayed somewhat both by the move and an injury to Peek’s arm. Deciding not to replace Samwell, the group opted to produce the album by themselves. The trio began their move away from a purely acoustic approach to a more rock-oriented sound with the help of Hal Blaine  on drums and Joe Osborn on bass. Peek began to play lead electric guitar on more tracks.

America’s second album, Homecoming, was released in November 1972. The group struck gold yet again with the Top Ten hit “Ventura Highway“. Follow-up singles, including Peek’s Don’t Cross the River and Beckley’s “Only In Your Heart”, were somewhat less successful, but not enough to deny the group a Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1972.

The group’s output became increasingly ambitious. Their third offering, Hot Trick, was released in October 1973 after several months of recording at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. 

This post was made with the assistance of Wikipedia.

delete reply terryridgway wrote on Aug 21, ’08 One thing that really baffled me, they were in the desert, miles and miles of sand,scorching heat, no one for company , and they could not think of a name for the horse ….!!!!!!….

delete reply seth360 wrote on Aug 21, ’08, edited on Aug 21, ’08 how could anyone not like America in the 70′? It was……well un-American LOL Horse with no Name was catchy, and had a haunting melody & lyrics…They successfully captured a trek though the desert with the melody and the lyrics… Few bands have been able to convey mood & setting through their music…America with Horse with No Name did just that..I’d put them right up there with Dan Fogelberg (yeah i listened to him but only admitted it to my best friend LOL….don’t diss the Fogelberg he wrote damn good tunes with amazing lyrics for a time in the late 70’s n 80’s…Part of the Plan anyone remember that song?) Genesis used to be able to do that for me up to their “Duke” record (that album is a stretch but I’ll give it to them) more so than any band or solo artist … Ohhh wait I do have to add The Moody Blues here as well, they had their time as well for writing perfect melodies that set up the mood for perfectly matched lyrics… (that one was for you Sis 🙂 ) Also when i hear Horse With no Name it reminds me of another horse based song from the same era, Michael Murphy’s ‘Wildfire”….If i have a guilty pleasure from this era it’s that song… The damn song gives me goosebumps, geez I’m gettin them now just thinking about the damn song…it’s partially due to the haunting melody, perfectly matched lyrics and another part due to it being one of those songs that instantly takes you back to a specific time, making me wax nostalgic.. The following vid has an extended piano intro thats not in the originial recording, the piano intro is shorter but you’ll recognize the song it when you hear it ….

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Aug 21, ’08 Yeah, Seth, they were great. My favorite song my them has always been, “Three Roses”, along with “Riverside”. There really was not too many bands from the seventies that I liked (too much disco). I mainly liked the bands that spilled over from the sixties, although many of the legends already died from drug overdoses.

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Aug 21, ’08 Wildfire was a great song ! Reminds me of America.

delete reply seth360 wrote on Aug 21, ’08 I’m with ya Sis.. Disco was horrible..right down from the music to the clothes…

delete reply seth360 wrote on Aug 21, ’08 lauritasita said Wildfire was a great song ! Reminds me of America. I”m glad you feel the same way.. i always worry about posting vids on someone else blog

delete reply seth360 wrote on Aug 21, ’08, edited on Aug 21, ’08 i spent the 70’s listening to Genesis, Yes, ELP, Traffic, Hot Tuna, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd (shoosh Dan Fogelberg), Springsteen, Dylan etc…

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Aug 21, ’08 Same here. You can add The Doors to that list. L.A. Woman came out in 1970.

delete reply seth360 wrote on Aug 21, ’08 ohh yes…. Riders on The Storm especially for me….holy moly thats another one that haunts me…the rain sound mixed with the keyboards, then Jim comes in with the deep mysterious vocal & lyrics…superbly creepy and so well done. Thanks for the reminder Sis

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Aug 21, ’08 Seth, check out this Poetry Wednesday post I did a while back about the latest poetry trends by Ray Manzarek and Michael McClure. An incredible collaboration. http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/719

delete reply terryridgway wrote on Aug 22, ’08 “spent the 70’s listening to Genesis, Yes, ELP, Traffic, Hot Tuna, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd (shoosh Dan Fogelberg), Springsteen, Dylan etc…” And me, well, kind of… Genesis,Pink Floyd,Elp,Yes,Barclay James Harvest ( a poor mans Moody Blues..!!!. ),Camel and even the likes of Lindisfarne,Roy Harper,Led Zep and Rory Gallacher.

edit delete reply lauritasita wrote on Aug 22, ’08 Yeah Terry, those are great bands ! I never got into the disco scene in the seventies.