America live at the Coach House Oct. 12
America has been entertaining us for more than three decades. Relive the hits we all know on Sat, Oct. 12, at The Coach House. Their collection of songs will surely be enjoyed by all.
America is best known for their folk rock staples of the 70s. An English-American band formed in London in 1970, the group originally consisted of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. They became a music chart sensation in 1972 and won a Grammy award for Best New Artist. The band was barely out of their teens when they charted a number of top ten hits including the number one hit “A Horse with No Name”. To this day, America is loved by many fans. In 2012, they were recognized as a Walk Of Fame honoree.
I grew up in a family of music enthusiasts. My uncle owned a jukebox business in the 70s. My baby boomer cousins listened to AM radio when FM was not mainstream yet, and my mom who just generally loves music gave me a lot of exposure to 70s music including the hits from America. I remember those days when my uncle Radie repaired juke boxes. He used worn out 45 vinyl record to test juke boxes were working and ready for pick up. Having that business, we would have not just hundreds of single 45 records but thousands stacked in a cabinet. My cousins would play “A Horse with No Name,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Lonely People,”, and “Tin Man” on our humongous wooden stereo. We invited our friends over just to listen to the songs. These songs were so memorable they stayed in your head all day. Of all America’s songs, my favorites are “Sister Golden Hair,” “Ventura Highway” and their 80s hit “You Can Do Magic.”
Cora Gallardo, who looks forward to watching America at the Coach House on Oct. 14 recalls, “In college (an all girls school), one of my classmates would bring a guitar to class. When our professors were running late, we would sing A Horse With No Name which eventually became our class song.” Ben Villanueva, another fan of America, commented, “Their songs are classics. We would play guitar and sing the songs whenever we would go camping. Their music was always playing in the car when we would go on long drives”.
America’s songs are beautifully crafted. The guitar riffs are soothing and you can tap your feet to them. I was about six years old when I was introduced to this excellent music. Now I’m 44 and have 3 boys and their music still stands up well after several decades.