America
The
mysterious "Horse with No Name" appeared on the music
scene in 1972, becoming a major hit for the young musicians, known
as America, who harmonized their way to the top of the charts.
America's
journey has taken them into a wide variety of musical terrain,
and a look backward seems overdue as they enter their fourth decade.
Their music
became a fixture of 1970s Top 40 and FM Album radio. Yet there
was always more to America than the hits indicated.
In many ways
the band was rooted in the melodic pop rock of the British Invasion,
most particularly in Gerry Beckley's hook-laden songwriting. This
connection was made explicit when legendary Beatles producer George
Martin came on board to help refine their sound. For his part,
Dewey Bunnell brought a tinge of folk-jazz, combining Latin-leaning
rhythms with playfully rhyming words and impressionistic lyric
imagery. Dan Peek's contributions often tapped into a country-rock
vein, with a strong element of personal confession.
America's
albums, (six certified gold and or platinum, with their first
greatest hits collection, History, reaching the 4 million sales
mark), displayed a fuller range of the group's talents than did
their singles.
Success came
to America young, even by the standards of rock artists of the
early '70s. They literally learned on the job and grew up amid
the madness that is the music business. Earning a #1 record and
a Grammy for Best New Artist while barely in your twenties has
its perils, and the pressures of the pop-star lifestyle affected
each of them.
Personal hassles
and a rigorous touring and recording schedule caught up with the
band in the middle of the decade. When Peek left the group in
1977, his bandmates rose to the challenge of carrying on as a
duo. Shifts in sound, changes in producers and managers, and a
renewed dedication to the craft of songwriting came in the '80s.
America returned
to the upper reaches of the Pop chart in 1982 with "You Can
Do Magic" and brought their live show to audiences in new
corners of the globe. Beckley and Bunnell came into their own
as mature artists during this time in many ways. Their growth
has continued into the present day with such impressive releases
as 1998's Human Nature.
America's
songs have frequently dealt with themes of travel and restlessness
- from such early compositions as "A Horse With No Name"
and "Ventura Highway" through such recent tunes as "From
A Moving Train". Their box set, Highway, released in 2000
captures the highlights of where their music has carried them
and chronicles the changes they've gone though both artistically
and personally. And change, of course, has always been a very
American quality.
More new music
can be expected from America in the years ahead. And, as ever,
the touring continues as the band looks forward to many more years
on the road.
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