Dewey Bunnell | |
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 Bunnell in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lee Merton Bunnell [1] [2] |
| Born | 19 January 1952 Harrogate, Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, percussion |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Member of | America |
Lee Merton "Dewey" Bunnell [1] (born 19 January 1952) [3] is an English-born American musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter, and a founding member of the band America. [4]
After an initial attempt at forming a band in the late 1960s, Bunnell, Beckley, and Peek formed America in 1969 and released their first album in 1971. [4] As with the other members, Bunnell wrote, sang and played guitar. His best-known compositions include "A Horse with No Name", "Ventura Highway", and "Tin Man". Bunnell has explained that "A Horse with No Name" was "a metaphor for a vehicle to get away from life's confusion into a quiet, peaceful place", while "Sandman" was inspired by his casual talks with returning Vietnam veterans. Afraid that they might be attacked and killed in their sleep, many of them chose to stay awake as long as possible, either naturally or with pharmaceuticals. Thus, they were "running from the Sandman." [5]
Bunnell is still a member of America, along with the remaining founding member, Gerry Beckley. America has made more than 20 albums of original material, along with a number of hits compilations, between the 1960s and the present. In 2002, the band released a holiday album entitled Holiday Harmony. America's album Back Pages was released on 26 July 2011. The group was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2012. America's most recent album, Lost & Found, was officially released 5 May 2015, containing unreleased tracks recorded between 2002 and 2010. [6]
Bunnell was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, [3] to an American serviceman father, stationed at the United States Air Force base at RAF South Ruislip, and his English wife. As a young musician, Bunnell was inspired by the Beatles and the Beach Boys. [7] While attending London Central High School in England, he met Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek. In 1973, he moved to Marin County, California, with his then-wife, Vivien. They had two children, Dylan and Lauren. The two divorced in 1999 and he married Penny in 2002. [4] He then legally adopted Penny's daughter, Destry.
America is a British-American rock band formed in London in 1970 by US artists Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley. The trio met as sons of US Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live. Achieving significant popularity in the 1970s, the trio was famous for its close vocal harmonies and light acoustic folk rock sound. The band released a string of hit albums and singles, many of which found airplay on pop/soft rock stations.
"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in December 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of C-sharp minor.
Gerald Linford Beckley is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, and a founding member of the band America.
America is the debut studio album by America, released January 1972. It was initially released without "A Horse with No Name", which was released as a single in Europe in late 1971 and in the US in January 1972. When "A Horse with No Name" became a worldwide hit in early 1972, the album was re-released with that track.
"A Horse with No Name" is a song by American folk rock trio America. Written by Dewey Bunnell, it was released on the Warner Bros. label, in late 1971 in Europe and early 1972 in the United States. The song was met with commercial success and topped charts in Canada, Finland, and the United States. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 24, 1972. The song was quickly added to a rerelease of the bands' debut studio album, America. The song is a staple of the group's discography and one of their most popular.
Daniel Milton Peek was an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known as co-founder and member (1970-1977) of the band America and a "pioneer in contemporary Christian music".
Hat Trick is the third studio album by the American folk rock trio America, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1973. It peaked at number 28 on the Billboard album chart; it failed to go gold, whereas the group's first two releases had platinum sales. The album produced the single, "Muskrat Love", which reached number 67 on the Billboard singles chart and number 11 on the adult contemporary chart. That song would become a much bigger hit for Captain & Tennille three years later.
Holiday is the fourth studio album by the American folk rock band America, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in June 1974. The album was produced in London by longtime Beatles record producer George Martin, the first of seven consecutive albums he produced with America.
History: America's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American folk rock trio America, released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975. The album was produced by longtime Beatles producer George Martin, the third of seven consecutive albums he produced with America. It was a success in the United States, reaching number 3 on the Billboard album chart and being certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. It has also been certified 6 times platinum by ARIA for shipments of 420,000 copies in Australia. On July 20, 2019, the album reentered the US charts reaching 50 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.
Alibi is the ninth studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in 1980.
Your Move is the eleventh studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records on June 3, 1983.
In Concert is the second official live album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in July 1985. This was the sixth and last release by America on the Capitol Records label and was the first America album ever issued on the budding compact disc format. This was America's first album that failed to chart. No singles were released from the album.
In Concert is the third officially released live album by American folk rock duo America, released by King Biscuit Records in 1995. The concert itself was recorded on September 4, 1982, at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, for an installment of the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show.
The Complete Greatest Hits is the fourth principal major label greatest hits album by American folk rock duo America, released by Rhino Records in 2001. This is the first compilation to feature all 17 of the group's Billboard Hot 100 singles. The album was intended to update and expand upon History: America's Greatest Hits. It includes two new tracks released exclusive to this collection. This was the group's first album to chart since 1984's Perspective, reaching No. 152 on the Billboard albums chart.
The Grand Cayman Concert is the fifth official live album by American folk rock duo America, released by the group in 2002. The concert consisted of Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell performing a number of their hits in a stripped-down, acoustic manner not seen since the early days when America performed as an acoustic trio. The concert was performed in the Cayman Islands, the longtime home of former bandmate Dan Peek.
"Ventura Highway" is a 1972 song by the band America from their album Homecoming, written by Dewey Bunnell.
"Tin Man" is a 1974 song by the pop rock band America. It was written by band member Dewey Bunnell and produced by George Martin, who also plays the piano part on the recorded version. The song was included on the band's album Holiday, also from 1974.
"I Need You," released in 1972, is the second single by the band America from their eponymous debut album America. The song was written by Gerry Beckley.
All Things Are Possible is the solo debut album by Dan Peek after his departure from the popular soft rock band America. The album was released in 1979 and was a hit on contemporary Christian music radio stations. It was released by Pat Boone's label Lamb & Lion Records and was produced by Chris Christian, who also helped with the songwriting and contributed acoustic guitar and backing vocals on the album.
Lost & Found is the 18th studio album by America. Released May 5, 2015 by America Records, it is their first album of original material since Here & Now in 2007. It includes music recorded between 2000 and 2011 but not released on previous albums. The song "Driving", an upbeat single, received some airplay and was highly regarded by many.
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