America are one of the finest classic rock bands of all times. The band was formed in London, United Kingdom in 1970 and consisted of the three following founding members: Dewey Bunnell (British-born American), Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley (the latter two Americans). This great classic rock trio met and got together as a band in London given the fact that they were the sons of US Air Force personnel which was stationed at RAF South Ruisplip (situated in the proximity of London) during the mid 1960s. The three musicians attended the same high school, namely London Central High School, and, before forming America, got acquainted with each other at that time since they were playing in two different bands.
The trio started out in 1970 with some borrowed acoustic guitars and were initially influenced by folk rock legends Crosby, Stills & Nash. After a series of concerts around London, the trio got signed with the UK Warner Bros. record label during 1971 and during the same year they released their debut self-titled studio album which was both a commercial and critical success. Throughout the next years and decades, the band became very successful and well known, releasing numerous studio albums especially during the 1970s. To date, the band released 18 studio albums, their latest one being Lost & Found from 2015. Among the most successful records by America are their debut self-titled studio album from 1970, followed by Homecoming from 1972, Hat Trick from 1973, Holiday from 1974, Hearts from 1975, or View from the Ground from 1982.
America in 1975, publicity photograph promoting their Hearts studio album released during the same year. From left to right: Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
America in 1976, from left to right: Gerry Beckley, Dan Peek, and Dewey Bunnell. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
All three constituent founding members were very skilled multi-instrumentalist, having very good command over their guitars in the first place. Aside from their great talent and technique on the six strings, each member was able to play the following instruments:
- Gerry Beckley: keyboards, bass guitar, and harmonica;
- Dewey Bunnell: percussion;
- Dan Peek: bass guitar, keyboards, and harmonica.
All three constituent founding members also provided vocal contributions on their songs, both backing and lead vocals. Due to a sad and tragic course of history (including artistic differences), the band continued as a duo without founding member Dan Peek (who deceased in 2011) from 1977 onwards.
Their discography is a mixture of folk rock, soft rock, pop rock, and even country rock. Below you can listen to a selection of songs from their discography via YouTube (my all time most favourite songs from their discography, to be more precise). I truly hope you’ll like them. All the best and rock on!
Documentation sources and external links:
- The official website of the band on www.venturahighway.com
- The band’s biography page on their official website on www.venturahighway.com
- The band’s discography on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- The band’s page on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
P.S. On a personal note, A Horse With No Name was the first song that I ever learnt on my acoustic Harley Benton guitar back in 2018, in my student rented-room in Aalborg, Denmark. Just four chords (but the rhythm patterns can be a bit tricky here and there for a beginner), but such an enduring beautiful musical memory which is still well preserved and cherished to this day. Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! Take care and stay safe!