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The Sanford-Townsend Band | |
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Origin | Alabama, United States |
Genres | Pop rock, blue-eyed soul |
Years active | 1974–1980 |
Labels | Warner Bros. |
Past members | Ed Sanford Johnny Townsend Roger Johnson Otis Hale Jerry Rightmer Jim Varley |
The Sanford-Townsend Band was a rock and roll band that scored a hit single in 1977 with "Smoke from a Distant Fire".
The Sanford-Townsend Band featured keyboardists Ed Sanford (from Montgomery, Alabama) and Johnny Townsend (from Tuscaloosa, Alabama), who previously worked together in a Tuscaloosa-based band called Heart (not to be confused with the band of the same name fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson from Seattle/Vancouver).
After reuniting in Los Angeles, Sanford and Townsend signed a publishing deal with Chappell Music and began writing songs, most notably "Peacemaker" for Loggins and Messina, which was co-written by Sanford and Townsend with Kenny Loggins.
Their 1976 self-titled album, recorded at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, started getting attention when "Smoke from a Distant Fire" reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 9 in Cash Box, and No. 13 in Record World. The album was retitled with the name of the hit song and re-released as just by Sanford & Townsend. The band supported the song by opening for Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours tour, as well as concerts with The Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Buffett, Foreigner, Heart and others.
The band's follow-up albums, Duo-Glide (also credited to Sanford & Townsend) and Nail Me To The Wall (back to the full band name again), were significantly less successful. Sanford and Townsend returned to their careers as session musicians and songwriters.
The band's long-time bassist, Jerry Rightmer, died in 2007 at the age of 57 from cirrhosis of the liver, brought on by Hepatitis C.
Former lead guitarist Roger Johnson currently works with his wife in publishing. He had spent 25 years in the film industry as a video technician and editor subsequent to his time in the Sanford-Townsend Band. [1]
In 2008, John Townsend formed the Toler/Townsend Band with Dan Toler. Townsend's tenor voice remains substantially unchanged from thirty years prior. [2]
Title | Year | Chart positions | Album | |
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US [5] | AUS [6] | |||
"Shake It to the Right" | 1977 | — | — | Sanford Townsend Band |
"Smoke from a Distant Fire" | 9 | 44 | ||
"Eye of My Storm (Oh Woman)" | 1978 | — | — | Duo-Glide |
Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry. They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook. First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.
Air Supply are a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Lost in Love" (1979), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World", "The One That You Love" (number one), "Here I Am", "Sweet Dreams", "Even the Nights Are Better" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (1983). In Australia, they had four top ten placements with "Love and Other Bruises" (1976), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World" and "The One That You Love". Their highest charting studio album, The One That You Love (1981) reached number ten in both Australia and the US. The group, which relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, has included many members, with Hitchcock and Russell at the core. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) inducted Air Supply into their Hall of Fame on 1 December 2013, at the annual ARIA Awards.
Michael H. McDonald is an American singer, keyboardist and songwriter known for his distinctive, soulful voice and as a member of the bands the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan (1973–1974). McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.
Loggins and Messina was an American pop rock duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, who achieved major chart success during the 1970s. Among their well-known songs are "Danny's Song", "House at Pooh Corner", and "Your Mama Don't Dance". After selling more than 16 million records and becoming one of the leading musical duos of the 1970s, Loggins and Messina separated in 1976. Although Messina would find only limited popularity following the breakup, Loggins went on to achieve major chart success in the 1980s. In 2005 and again in 2009, Loggins and Messina reformed for tours in the United States.
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Finale is the second live double album by singer-songwriter duo Loggins and Messina, released in early 1977. Tracks on the album are from performances while touring in 1975 and 1976.
Celebrate Me Home is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released on April 13, 1977, by Columbia Records. The album was Loggins' first since splitting from Loggins and Messina, represents a slight move away from the folk-rock leanings of his previous recordings towards a more polished, soft rock sound.
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Out of a Dream is the second studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire, released on August 27, 1979, through Mercury Records. The first single from the album, Last Night, Ev'ry Night, was her first top 30 hit. It was also the first to include a song written solely by McEntire.
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"Your Mama Don't Dance" is a hit 1972 song by the rock duo Loggins and Messina. Released on their self-titled album Loggins and Messina, it reached number four on the Billboard pop chart and number 19 on the Billboard Easy Listening Chart as a single in early 1973.
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Just Before the Bullets Fly is a studio album by the Gregg Allman Band, released on Epic Records in 1988. The album peaked at number 117 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"Smoke from a Distant Fire" is a song by American duo Sanford-Townsend Band. It was released as a single in 1977 from their self-titled album.
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