America, the Band
An Authorized Biography
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- 21,99 €
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- 21,99 €
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As if recovering from a raucous dream of the 1960s, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek arrived on 1970s American radio with a sound that echoed disenchanted hearts of young people everywhere. The three American boys had named their band after a country they’d watched and dreamt of from their London childhood Air Force base homes. What was this country? This new band? Classic and timeless, America embodied the dreams of a nation desperate to emerge from the desert and finally give their horse a name.
Celebrating the band’s fiftieth anniversary, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell share stories of growing up, growing together, and growing older. Journalist Jude Warne weaves original interviews with Beckley, Bunnell, and many others into a dynamic cultural history of America, the band, and America, the nation.
Reliving hits like “Ventura Highway,” “Tin Man,” and of course, “A Horse with No Name” from their 19 studio albums and incomparable live recordings, this book offers readers a new appreciation of what makes some music unforgettable and timeless. As America’s music stays in rhythm with the heartbeats of its millions of fans, new fans feel the draw of a familiar emotion. They’ve felt it before in their hearts and thanks to America, they can now hear it, share it, and sing along.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Warne debuts with a meticulous and entertaining account of 1970s folk rock band America. Drawing from extensive research and interviews, Warne traces the lives of band members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek, all Air Force brats who met in London in the 1960s and bonded over their shared American heritage and love of playing music. Following in the footsteps of their musical heroes the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young they began writing music with what Warne describes as "timeless human themes of love, joy, and celebration of the natural world." America moved from England to California soon after starting, and Warne blends their story into that of the L.A. music scene, where they met and worked with such notables as David Geffen, Brian Wilson, and Harry Nilsson. She tracks their career from the 1971 smash hit "A Horse with No Name," through their decline in the 1980s when their recording began to sound "corporate," to their resurgence in the 1990s and their 50th anniversary in 2020. Warne's passion for the band is evident throughout, as when she describes "A Horse with No Name" "it highlighted overarching life themes like freedom, truth, and the power of nature." Classic rock fans will enjoy this easygoing biography.
