America

Formed in London in 1970 by Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek, all three sons of American military personnel stationed in the United Kingdom, America developed from its beginnings a sound based on vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars and a blend of folk rock, soft rock, pop rock and country rock. The trio made itself known with America in 1972, propelled by \"A Horse with No Name\" and \"I Need You\", then followed with Homecoming in 1972, which contains \"Ventura Highway\". In the mid-1970s, the group slightly widened its palette with more produced arrangements, notably on Holiday in 1974 and Hearts in 1975, recorded with George Martin; a period which also features \"Tin Man\", \"Lonely People\", \"Sister Golden Hair\" and \"Daisy Jane\". After Dan Peek's departure in 1977, America continued as a duo around Bunnell and Beckley, with a sometimes more pop-oriented orientation in the 1980s, visible on View from the Ground in 1982 and Your Move in 1983, where \"You Can Do Magic\" and \"The Border\" appear. America then continued alternating tours and recordings, notably Hourglass in 1994, Human Nature in 1998, Here & Now in 2007, produced with Adam Schlesinger and James Iha, and Back Pages in 2011. Active on stage for several decades, America has maintained a sonic identity closely linked to melodic writing, acoustic textures and the vocal work among its members.