America
America – A Horse with no Name
The band America comprised of Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek & Gerry Beckley who had a three-year run of top-ten singles and best selling albums. The group first met at an American school in the UK, the sons of Airforce officers stationed overseas. The name America was stimulated by a local American jukebox called ‘Americano’ that stood at a tavern where the aspiring teenagers Beckley & Bunnell met in 1966.
Like estranged sons cast adrift from their homeland the trio wafted though some of the most infectious harmonies to sooth the seventies. The strength of the trio was Gerry Beckley’s infectious songwriting hook that had millions riding horses through the desert. During his early days he was brought up on The Kingston Trio, but melted into the surf scene as one part of the group Vanguard and later operating as a bass guitarist for The Corporation until psychedelic group The Daze. Meanwhile Dan Peek who landed on the shores of England in 1968 also melted into the Daze, only to be replaced by future America compatriot Dewey Bunnell. Dan’s main influential element was country rock, yet his lead guitar playing reached moments of brilliance. Peek’s primary input was to push the layering of the voices to the seventh heaven. Those incredible high notes were driven to the lofty peaks by Dan’s gifted soprano. Dewey contributed the jazzy folk rhythms.
Horse With No Name
Glory came when Dewey Bunnell gave one of his original demos entitled “Desert Song” (“Horse with No Name“) to his partners to test their harmonising skills. The song was released in England as “Horse with No Name”. Beckley played the bass on the infectious rhythm that was penned by Bunnell. After galloping into the third position in the UK, the “Horse” was let free in the States where it went # 1in 1973. The beastly success came through a gruelling tour of live concerts at various universities throughout the USA and Canada. It eventually sold more than a million copies coupled with the added bonus that they received a Grammy for best new artists in 1972. Various stations added mystique to the lyrics by insinuating that it was about heroine (Horse), this only boosted the beast into the hipper elements of society. In hindsight the essence of the song resembled traits of Neil Young that incidentally bumped “Heart of Gold” out of the # 1 position. The first pressing of the UK release didn’t even have the song included.The group’s debut self-titled album spiralled into the charts due to a ‘Warner Brothers’ referral from AR man Ian Samwell.
Ian was blown away by Gerry Beckley’s lead solos while jamming with a group called Follow the Buffalo. Gerry was primarily a rhythm guitarist in the same vein as Joe Walsh. The debut was fundamentally assembled out of a number of sessions at Chalk Farm. A fine execution of their diverse combination of harmony and acoustic should be explored on the crystalline tempo of “Riverside”, “Three Roses”, and the acoustic “Donkey Jaw”. (Initially named “Satan”). The rudiment of these jams were the creation of Dewey Bunnell. Much of the earlier live performances at the ‘Roundhouse’ alongside Floyd, The Who and T Rex were booked by manger Jeff Dexter an ex house DJ from the ‘Roundhouse’. Jeff took the youthful trio into full flight by exposing their virtuoso at well-supported live venues. Check out the jazz scales on “Three Roses”. The true story behind the Bunnell penned “Sandman” stemmed back to a conversation he had with a Vietnam vet. He claimed that he hardly ever slept in Vietnam out of sheer fear, thus the words – ‘You’ve been running from the man who goes by the name of the Sandman, you don’t want to sleep because you might be killed’. ’ The UK maxi single “Horse with No Name” also sported the ultra “Everyone I Meet Is from California” recorded as “California Revisited” (Homecoming).
Out of the cross rhythms of Homecoming a lavish version of John Martyn’s “Head & Heart” reflected the early influences of Joe Boyd’s Witchseason folk reign. This astounding release streaked into the charts propelled by the scintillating “Ventura Highway”. It spoke about leaving and returning to the motherland of prairies and open plains. The spirit of the highway also gave birth to easy dripping “Don’t Cross the River” copped from an Alabama football poster referring to don’t cross the river if you can’t swim the tide – (Crimson Tide). rhythmically plucked on banjo by Henry Diltz. Close on the heels of “Horse with No Name” came their #10 “I Need You”., later overed by Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and Harry Nillson. The single dominated # 9 in July 1972. Hat trick took off with an old Everly Brothers ballad called “Muskrat Love” which birthed on Allen Ramsey’s Shelter..
The group covered “Muskrat Love”, selling an excess of four million copies. Captain & Tennille covered it three years later. Incidentally the Hat trick tunes features Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson & Bruce Johnstone on backup vocals. This was Carl’s last sessions before his untimely death. George Martin produced their 1974 Holiday and 1975 Hearts. The tenuous “Green Monkey” writhed with the muscular rasp of future Eagle Joe Walsh. The skating “Tin Man” and “Lonely People” solidified Holiday while the squelching “Daisy Jane” owes its lyrical origins to Nick Drake’s “Hazy Jane II”. Beckley’s global “Sister Golden Hair” written for his own flesh and blood and partly penned by Jackson Browne took the group back into #1 spearheading a golden tide of wannabe’s.
The groups History compilation sold an excess of 4 million copies and brushed the walls of countless steakhouses and pubs. Aspiring folk musicians would be sure to cover at least one America number with the audience guaranteed to know the words. In December 1977 as the ‘Warner Brothers’ contract drew to a close the group released their Live Album recorded at LA’s Greek Theatre. Elmer Bernstein conducted the orchestral arrangements that were laid down by George Martin.
The band challenged the charts again with a proven epic, the climatic “California Dreaming”. The updated Mamas & the Papas version fronted the soundtrack of the same title, thanks to the saxophone of Jim Calire. The session men behind mostf the albums were Hal Blaine, Dean Parks, J.D. Souther, Steve Lukather, and the formidable Leland Sklar. In 1977 Dan left the group, but returned in 1982 with another #10, “You Can Do Magic” penned by Argent’s Russ Ballard. The group initially covered Ballard’s “Do You Believe in Miracles” on Alibi . Peak’s recently found faith which he came to by falling on his knees while fused by alcohol. The trouble with America’s latter recordings is that they suffered from a dishy analogue smoothness, reflective of the pyrotechnic sound, gone was the riveting acoustic sway that shivered through “Ventura Highway”, “Don’t Cross The River ”and discarded demos like “Mitchum Junction”. The “Horse With No Name” did not return from the desert.