America

America biography

America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist. Their recording success stretched throughout the 1970s; some of the band's best known songs are "A Horse with No Name", "Sister Golden Hair" (both of which reached #1), "Ventura Highway", "Tin Man", "Daisy Jane", and "Lonely People". George Martin produced seven of their albums.

The band suffered a heavy blow when Dan Peek quit the group in 1977, right at the bottom of a steep decline in their popularity, but Beckley and Bunnell returned to the top 10 as a duo with "You Can Do Magic" in 1982. Continuing to tour, America maintains a loyal fan base and performs over 100 shows per year. America's debut album was re-released with the hit song added and quickly went platinum. The album resulted in a second major chart success with Beckley's "I Need You", which peaked at #9 on the U.S. charts.

After their initial success, the trio decided to dismiss Samwell and Dexter and relocate to Los Angeles, California. The recording of a second album was delayed by the relocation as well as 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 mainly acoustic style to a more rock-music-oriented style with the help of Hal Blaine on drums and Joe Osborn on bass. Peek began to play lead electric guitar on more tracks and the group expanded from an acoustic trio to embrace a fuller sound, adding David Dickey on bass and Willie Leacox on drums.

America's second album, Homecoming, was released in November 1972. Awarded a gold disc in December 1972, the million sales figure was confirmed by the R.I.A.A. in 1975. The group reached the top 10 again with "Ventura Highway". Other singles, including Peek's "Don't Cross the River" and Beckley's "Only In Your Heart", were only modestly successful, but the group still won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1972.

The group's output grew increasingly ambitious. Their third offering, Hat Trick, was released in October 1973 following several months of recording at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. Again self-produced, the album featured strings, harmonicas, an eight-minute title track, and tap dancing. Beckley, Bunnell, and Peek were once again joined by Blaine on drums, while Osborn was replaced by David Dickey on bass. The album was not as successful as Homecoming, featuring only one minor successful single, "Muskrat Love". Penned by Texas folk singer Willis Alan Ramsey, Captain & Tennille would take the song to the top 10 in late 1976.

George Martin years (1974-1979)

After the disappointing commercial performance of Hat Trick, America chose to enlist an outside producer for their next album. They were able to secure the services of George Martin, and Geoff Emerick The Beatles Recording Engineer 1966-1970 who played a major role in shaping the sound of The Beatles. Sessions took place at George Martin AIR Studios in London England and Montserrat in the Caribbean.

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