America, the Band: An Authorized Biography

by Jude Warne, Billy Bob Thornton (Foreword by)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538120958
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/15/2020
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,101,815
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jude Warne is a music journalist with publications in The Observer, The Vinyl District, Live for Live Music, No Depression, and Film International. She has written long and short-form pieces on Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Procol Harum, the Band, the Yardbirds, among others. She has also published a six-volume YA fiction series. She lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Billy Bob Thornton Acknowledgments Introduction: Peace, Love, and Success in the Seventies PART I: THE FIRST PART OF THE JOURNEY 1. The Song 2. The Roots 3. The Beatles and the Beach Boys 4. The Trio 5. The Dawn 6. The Manor 7. The Album 8. The Climb 9. The Move PART II: IN HOLLYWOOD 10. The Arrival 11. The California Songs 12. The Polarizer 13. The Producer 14. The Identity 15. The Freezing and the Fifty-Five Thousand 16. The Beast 17. The Split PART III: YOU CAN DO MAGIC 18. The Duo 19. The Reasonless Rejection 20. The Comeback 21. The Friend 22. The Video 23. The Corporation 24. The Bowling Alley 25. The Farm(house) and the Home Studio 26. The Work 27. The Relevance 28. The Tour 29. The New Notes Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

03/16/2020

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. (May)

Publishers Weekly

In an easily digestible, in-depth look at the thoughtful artistry and idealistic innocence of one of the most enduring acts of the 1970s, author Jude Warne does more than reassess the band’s underappreciated cultural impact in her richly detailed and absorbing read America, The Band: An Authorized Biography. Skillfully and passionately weaving together refreshingly honest, insightful interviews with exhaustive research, Warne demystifies this “logo band,” picking the locks of each complex personality to reveal much about their humanity and integrity, as well as their musical motivations and influences....Warne covers a lot of personal ground in the book, digging deeply into the overseas upbringing of all three principal members, products of military families who moved around a lot.... [It] is a tale of friendship and good-hearted intentions, of record label intrigue and a naïve belief in themselves. The rock ‘n roll excess they indulged in wasn’t entirely destructive, nor did the music business completely poison their dreams to the point where they died a cruel death. That, in and of itself, is inspiring.

Elmore Magazine

I’ll always remember how happy my dad was producing America. The records they made together blossomed with creative spark that great collaborations have. My father was always so proud of the great albums they made, as they are so full of beauty, love, and happiness.

Giles Martin

[Warne] outlines how the trio eventually overcame resistance to their mellow soft rock to become as a close to a music institution (in their homeland, mostly) as it’s possible to get. .. For an awareness of how a heritage band can continue testing themselves creatively as well as focusing on the commercial benefits of their maturing demographic, [America is] an educational read.

The Irish Times

With a surprisingly crisp forward by long-time fan Billy Bob Thornton, the book launches into a real love letter from a fan. .. the read is light, breezy, and fun – a perfect beach companion to any and all of [America’s] greatest hits.”

Goldmine Magazine

This finely crafted biography is a fitting tribute to one of the finest American bands. It reads like one of their songs: mythic, winding, and full of American soul.

Daniel Roher

America defined the sonic landscape of the Southern California sound.

Christopher Cross

Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, Richard Campbell, Willie Leacox, Bryan Garofalo and Michael Woods carved out a creative niche that holds up fifty years later in an art form that hasn’t slowed down in its evolution for a minute. Stories like this are always worth telling.

Michael McDonald

I grew up listening to America back in the 70's. Their music inspired and comforted me in a way that I still feel today. They have stood the test of time and I still know every word to every song. They take me to a ‘GOOD’ place. Thanks for the music.

Bill Cowher

This book gave me a fascinating and unexpected picture of the band—complex, focused, prolific, and most importantly, good people.

Fred Armisen

This book about one of my favorite bands is spectacular. Although we are both celebrating our half century performing, the only difference is that fifty years ago they were suddenly superstars while I was riddled with fear before each show. God bless America.

comedian and actor

With a biography on the band America, an irony-free defence of the oft-maligned hit makers is offered.

Globe and Mail

This book about one of my favorite bands is spectacular.

Richard Lewis

04/01/2020

Music journalist Warne has written the first full-length book about the multiplatinum band America, which despite selling millions of records was much neglected by critics. This authorized and laudatory biography explores the childhoods of band members Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley, and Dewey Bunnell, who, growing up in Air Force families, traveled constantly. In 1970, as students in London's Central High School, they formed America and in 1972 enjoyed a meteoric rise with the release of their self-titled album and the single "A Horse with No Name," which featured acoustic guitars and three-part harmonies and reflected the teenagers' fascination with the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Neil Young. The group moved to California, and their subsequent megahits embodied a laid-back post-1960s vibe. Finally, Warne outlines the band's work with noted Beatles producer George Martin, Peek's exit from the group in 1977, and their increasingly pop-oriented, string-drenched albums of the past four decades. VERDICT Drawing from interviews with Beckley and Bunnell, Warne has started the process of refurbishing the reputation of America. Fans will be delighted, and those who sold them short will be impressed.—David P. Szatmary, formerly with Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Library Journal