Dowdy Ferry Road

Dowdy Ferry Road
Studio album by England Dan & John Ford Coley
Released	March 1977
Studio	Hazen’s Recording Studio (Hendersonville, TN)
Genre	Pop rock, soft rock
Label	Big Tree
Producer	Kyle Lehning
England Dan & John Ford Coley chronology
Nights Are Forever (1976) Dowdy Ferry Road (1977) Some Things Don't Come Easy (1978)
Singles from Dowdy Ferry Road
"It's Sad to Belong" Released: April 1977 "Where Do I Go from Here" Released: 1977 "Gone Too Far" Released: 1977

Dowdy Ferry Road is the fifth studio album by the pop rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley. The album's single "It's Sad to Belong" was a moderate pop hit and a #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart. A second hit from the LP, "Gone Too Far," reached #23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Being from the Dallas, Texas area, England Dan and John Ford Coley named "Dowdy Ferry Road" after a street in the southeastern part of town. Dowdy Ferry (Exit #476) connects with Interstate 20 in Texas.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Cash Box said of the single "Gone Too Far" that "Coley's melody and lyric work perfectly with the slick harmonies and tasteful instrumentation." ^[2]

Track listing

1. "Dowdy Ferry Road" (Dan Seals) – 3:23
2. "It's Sad to Belong" (Randy Goodrum) – 2:54
3. "Soldier in the Rain" (John Ford Coley, Sunny Dalton) – 4:45
4. "Love is the One Thing We Hide" (Seals) – 2:53
5. "Gone Too Far" (Coley) – 2:58
6. "Where Do I Go From Here" (Parker McGee) – 2:59
7. "Falling Stars" (Coley) – 2:56
8. "You Know We Belong Together" (Coley, Seals) – 3:01
9. "Don't Feel That Way No More" (Seals) – 3:07
10. "Holocaust" (Seals) – 3:09

Personnel

• John Ford Coley – acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals,
• England Dan Seals – acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Bobby Thompson – acoustic guitar
• Doyle Grisham – steel guitar
• Shane Keister – keyboards, Moog synthesizer
• Kyle Lehning – keyboards
• Joe Osborn – bass
• Larrie Londin – drums, percussion
• Dennis Good – trombone
• George Tidwell – trumpet
• Billy Puett – woodwinds
• Buddy Skipper – woodwinds, horn arrangements (1), woodwind arrangements (6, 8)
• Bergen White – string arrangements, woodwind arrangements (4, 10)
• The Shelly Kurland String Section – strings
• Sheri Kramer – backing vocals
• Lisa Silver – backing vocals
• Wendy Suits – backing vocals
• Diane Tidwell – backing vocals

Production

• Producer – Kyle Lehning
• Engineers – Kyle Lehning and Marshall Morgan
• Recorded and Mixed at Hazen’s Recording Studio (Hendersonville, TN).
• Mastered by Glenn Meadows at Masterfonics (Nashville, TN).
• Art Direction – Bob Defrin
• Photography – Jim Houghton and Earl Steinbecker

References

1. Viglione, Joe. Dowdy Ferry Road at AllMusic
2. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 24, 1977. p. 24. Retrieved December 26, 2021.