America (Band)
America is a British-American rock band that was in the early 1970s most successful and the most well-known hits A Horse With No Name and The Last Unicorn are.
Band History
Bunnell, Peek, and Beckley, all singers and acoustic guitarists who already have a folk-rock band called Daze founded in high school ( German: stun ). Under the name America they got a record deal with Warner Brothers Records. A Horse With No Name was the first single the group in 1971, recorded and released in January 1972. It reached number 3 in the UK and No. 1 on the U.S. charts. The first album America came in the UK at number 14 in the U.S., it came before as the single on the top position.
Ventura Highway, the first single from their second album Homecoming ( 1972), also became a hit, number 8 on the U.S. charts. America in 1973 he won a Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category. Homecoming was very successful in the USA, in England a little less.
The third album Hat Trick fell short of expectations. On this album there is, among other things, the piece Muskrat Love, which had the group incorporated in 1971. The song was released as a single, but only reached number 67 on the U.S. charts. The fourth album Holiday ( with George Martin as producer ) brought America to the two hit singles Tin Man # 4 and # 5 in the Lonely People U.S. charts back on the winning track.
The next album Hearts (1975 ) was the second U.S. number -one hit of the band, Sister Golden Hair. The album Hideaway 1976 was, however, not very successful. As a result, Dan Peek left the group and the remaining duo brought out in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, only little attention albums.
In 1982, a comeback: The written by Russ Ballard Single You Can Do Magic from the album View from the Ground reached number eight on the U.S. charts. The also written by Russ Ballard Single The Border in 1983 reached number 33 in the U.S. singles charts and has since been the last single hit for America in the United States. Especially in Germany, America was composed by Jimmy Webb with the soundtrack to the animated film " The Last Unicorn " ( The Last Unicorn ) by the U.S. author Peter S. Beagle in early 1984 successfully.
Once it got a little quiet around the band in the late 80s and 90s, appeared in early 2007, the sixteenth studio album, Here and Now on SonyBMGs new label Burgundy Records. Using prominent guest musicians like Ryan Adams and Ben Kweller created twelve songs that were well received by critics and by the fans. In order to reach the widest possible audience, it was decided to include the album with a bonus CD with a recent live recording: Within the Series " XM 's Then Again " by the American radio station XM Radio this full album History was: America 's Greatest Hits played live. The group is still active today. America is touring several months a year mainly by the United States. Finally, a live DVD was released, for example, with a concert recording.
Dan Peek was after recovering from alcohol and drug addiction Revivalist and released several albums with contemporary Christian music. He died suddenly on 24 July 2011 at the age of 60 years.
Discography
Studio albums
- America - 1971
- Homecoming - 1972
- Hat Trick - 1973
- Holiday - 1974
- Hearts - 1975
- Hideaway - 1976
- Harbor - 1977
- Silent Letter - 1979
- Alibi - 1980
- A View from the Ground - 1982
- Your Move - 1983
- Perspective - 1984
- Hourglass - 1994
- Human Nature - 1998
- Here & Now - 2007
- Back Pages - 2011
Live albums
- America in Concert Live - 1973
- America Live - 1977
- In Concert - 1990
- In Concert - 1995
- Live (album ) - 1999
- Hits You Remember Live - 2001
- The Grand Cayman Concert - 2002
Compilations etc.
- The Last Unicorn (movie soundtrack) - 1982
- Ventura Highway & Other Favorites - 1992
- King Biscuit Flower Hour - 1996
- Premium Gold Collection (1979-1985) - 1996
- The Complete Greatest Hits - 2001
- The definitive America - 2001
- Holiday Harmony - 2002
- A Horse with No Name and Other Hits - 2004
Awards
RSH Gold