Dan Seals
Dan Seals | |
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Warner Bros. | |
Formerly of | England Dan & John Ford Coley |
Danny Wayland Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009), also known as England Dan, was an American musician. The younger brother of
After the duo disbanded, Seals began a solo career, starting in soft rock before shifting to
". Five more of his singles reached the top ten of the same chart.Background
Danny Wayland Seals was born in McCamey, Texas. Dan's childhood nickname of "England Dan" was given to him by his older brother Jim Seals (later of Seals and Crofts). It was also Jim's idea to incorporate the name "England Dan" into England Dan & John Ford Coley. The nickname was a reference to the fact that, as a youngster, Dan had fixated on the Beatles briefly affecting an English accent.[1][2]
Collaboration with John Ford Coley
Dan joined with fellow W. W. Samuell High School classmate and longtime friend John Ford Coley performing first as part of Southwest F.O.B. ('Free On Board'), a Dallas pop/psych group whose material was re-released on CD by the Sundazed label and then as the duo England Dan & John Ford Coley. In 1970 the latter were signed by A&M records, but a lack of US hits led to their being dropped two years later. Seals later recalled[3] that it led to a period of severe financial challenge which only ended when they signed to
Solo career
When Seals signed to Capitol Records in 1983 he moved to Nashville and began to record as Dan Seals. He initially struggled, but his voice and sentimental manner suited Nashville at a time when country music began to soften its rural styling. His solo career began to turn around with the single "God Must Be a Cowboy", the fourth and final single of his 1983 album Rebel Heart. The song peaked at No 10 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, becoming the first in a string of 16 consecutive top ten and number one singles which stretched to 1990. A 1985 duet with Marie Osmond, "Meet Me in Montana", reached No 1 and Seals followed that with a run of eight chart-toppers. More hits followed, including his 11th country No 1 with a cover of Sam Cooke's "Good Times" in 1990. Just as the pop rock market had changed radically in the 1980s, so did country music in the 1990s with the arrival of Garth Brooks's turbo-charged anthems. Seals devoted more time to his family and his religion, the Baháʼí Faith, though he continued to record and tour; he performed at the Baháʼí World Congress in 1992.[4]
Albums
Stones and Harbinger
He kept the name England Dan for his debut album, Stones. Although no single charted on the country chart, his first single ever as a solo artist "Late at Night" did peak at No. 57 on the US Hot 100. Otherwise, it was unsuccessful. His next album, Harbinger, was unsuccessful commercially. None of its singles charted, and he turned his attention to country music and adapted his style to fit country radio's demands while still keeping his signature soft sound. He signed to Capitol Records in 1983.
Rebel Heart
1983's
San Antone
His 1984 album San Antone was even more successful. "(You Bring Out) The Wild Side of Me," the album's first single, reached No. 9. The next single "My Baby's Got Good Timing" became his first Top 5, at No. 2. In early 1985, the album's third and final single "My Old Yellow Car" peaked at No. 9. This album peaked at No. 24 on the country albums chart.
Won't Be Blue Anymore
His 1985 album
On the Front Line
On the Front Line reached No. 12 on the country albums chart. The three singles from it all reached No. 1 in 1987:[5] "You Still Move Me", "I Will Be There", and "Three Time Loser".
The Best
Dan Seals released his first compilation album The Best in 1987. All of the songs included on the album were top ten hits. The lone new track "One Friend", which was originally included on 1984's San Antone, was re-recorded for this collection and continued his No. 1 streak. The album peaked at No. 7 and was certified platinum.
Rage On
1988 saw the release of Dan Seals'
On Arrival
Dan Seals began the 1990s with his eighth album, On Arrival. The first single "Love on Arrival" reached No. 1 in 1990, and stayed there for three weeks. After it came a cover of the Sam Cooke standard "Good Times." This cover was not only his last Number One, but also his last Top 40 hit, as the album's next two tracks ("Bordertown" and "Water Under the Bridge") failed to reach the top 40 in the United States, although they did in Canada.
Greatest Hits
Dan Seals' second compilation album, titled Greatest Hits was released in 1991. It contained his hits from the albums Won't Be Blue Anymore, Rage On, and On Arrival, along with a new track, "Ball and Chain," which was not released as a single.
Walking the Wire
By this time, the country music landscape had changed abruptly, and Dan Seals found his style out of favor. He moved to
Later albums, career and death
Although Dan Seals was a touring artist for the rest of the 1990s, he did release a few more albums on smaller labels throughout the decade, such as Fired Up in 1994, his final album for Warner Bros. He signed to Intersound Records and released In a Quiet Room in 1995, comprising acoustic versions of his earlier hits. He then switched to TDC and released In a Quiet Room II in 1998, followed by Make It Home in 2002.[9]
In the early 2000s, Dan Seals embarked on various tours with his brother Jim (of Seals and Crofts), billing themselves as Seals & Seals, and performing their successful hits from Seals and Crofts as well as England Dan and John Ford Coley, Dan's hits from his solo career, and a few original songs written between the two brothers. A few shows featured Jim's sons Joshua on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Sutherland on electric guitar. The status of the original recordings is unknown.[citation needed]
In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for
Prior to Seals' death, he recorded two duets with Juice Newton, for her 2010 release Duets: Friends & Memories, covering Heart's 1986 hit "These Dreams".
Four years after Seals' death, Kenny Rogers recorded Seals' composition "It's Gonna Be Easy Now." The track is featured as the closing number on Rogers' album You Can't Make Old Friends.
Discography
Studio albums
- Stones (1980)
- Harbinger (1982)
- Rebel Heart (1983)
- San Antone (1984)
- Won't Be Blue Anymore (1985)
- On the Front Line (1986)
- Rage On (1988)
- On Arrival (1990)
- Walking the Wire (1992)
- Fired Up (1994)
- In a Quiet Room (1995)
- In a Quiet Room II (1998)
- Make It Home (2002)
Compilation albums
- The Best (1987)
- Portrait (1990)
- Early Dan Seals (1991)
- Greatest Hits (1991)
- The Best of Dan Seals (1994)
- Certified Hits (2001)
- The Best of Dan Seals (2005)
Billboard number-one hits
- "Meet Me in Montana" with Marie Osmond (1 week, 1985)
- "Bop" (1 week, 1986)
- "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)" (1 week, 1986)
- "You Still Move Me" (1 week, 1987)
- "I Will Be There" (1 week, 1987)
- "Three Time Loser" (1 week, 1987)
- "One Friend" (1 week, 1988)
- "Addicted" (1 week, 1988)
- "Big Wheels in the Moonlight" (1 week, 1989)
- "Love on Arrival" (3 weeks, 1990)
- "Good Times" (2 weeks, 1990)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1986
|
"Meet Me in Montana" | Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Nominated |
1989
|
"Addicted" | Best Male Country Vocal Performance | Nominated |
American Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)" | Favorite Country Single | Nominated |
Music City News Country Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Dan Seals | Star of Tomorrow | Nominated |
Marie Osmond and Dan Seals | Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated |
Academy of Country Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Dan Seals | Top New Male Vocalist | Nominated |
1986 | Dan Seals and Marie Osmond | Top Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated |
1987 | "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
Country Music Association Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Dan Seals | Horizon Award | Nominated |
"Bop" | Single of the Year | Won | |
Dan Seals and Marie Osmond | Vocal Duo of the Year | Won | |
1987 | Nominated |
References
- ^ "ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY". Bluedesert.dk. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ Pore-Lee-Dunn Productions. "England Dan and John Ford Coley". Classicbands.com. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Dan Seals". Telegraph.co.uk. April 9, 2009.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 0-8230-7632-6.
- ISBN 0-8230-7553-2.
- ISBN 0-8230-7553-2.
- ISBN 0-8230-7553-2.
- CMT. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "Seals and Seals - Dan Seals Memorial". SealsandSeals.com. 2011. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Friskics-Warren, Bill (March 26, 2009). "Dan Seals, Known as England Dan of Pop-Folk Duo, Dies at 61". The New York Times.
Bibliography
- Lomax III, John (1998). "Dan Seals". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 474–5. ISBN 978-0195176087
External links
- Dan Seals at AllMusic
- Obituary in the Knoxville News Sentinel
- Dan Seals at Find a Grave