The group America was formed in England in 1969 by three
classmates from London Central High School.  They were
Englishman Dewey Bunnell and Americans Dan Peek
and Gerry Beckley (the latter two sons of U.S. Air Force officers). 
The trio took their name from an Americana jukebox at the
military installation at RAF West Ruisilip.  The group’s first album, simply
titled America, was produced by Ian Samwell, who was best
known as Cliff Richard’s lead guitarist.  When first released, the album
sold only modestly -- but that was before one additional track was added and
the LP was reissued.  That tune, which Bunnell had originally titled
“Desert Song,” was renamed “A Horse With No Name” and became
an international sensation, soaring to #1 in the U.S.A. in
March 1972 on the Warner Bros. label.  A second single taken from
the album, “I Need You,” also reached the Top 10, peaking
at #9 on the Hit Parade that summer.
 
Despite that success, the band decided to drop their producer,
move to L.A. and put their second album together themselves.  That LP,
Honecoming, featured a third Top 10 hit, “Ventura Highway,” which
was inspired by the real-life California thoroughfare.  Also on the
album was “Moon Song” -- which featured backward lyrics.  When
played in reverse, they were revealed to say, “All good men come
to the aid of their country.”  America’s sustained success
in 1972 was rewarded with that year’s
Grammy Award for “Best New Artist.”
 
After their next album, 1973’s Hat Trick, didn’t do very as well, the
group began a five-year association with George Martin, who had produced
most of The Beatles’ hits.  The results included “Tin Man” (#4 in 1974),
“Daisy Jane” (#20 in 1975), “Lonely People” (#5 in 1975), “Today’s The Day”
(#23 in 1976) and the chart-topping euphoria of “Sister Golden Hair.” 
The latter track featured a memorable guitar line adapted
from George Harrison’s ”My Sweet Lord.”
 
Martin worked with America through the rest of the decade --
and even remixed the group’s earliest hits before compiling them
into History, the band’s “best of” LP.  The artwork on that
album -- and America’s logo -- were designed by Phil Hartman,
who’d later win fame as a comedian on Saturday Night Live.  
The band wound up as  Warner Bros. Records’ #1 act of the ‘70s --
outselling both James Taylor and Rod Stewart.
 
Dan Peek left America in 1977 -- on very cordial terms --
to become a Contemporary Christian solo artist.  Bunnell
and Beckley carried on as co-leaders with an expanded
instrumental back-up.  They signed with Capitol and enlisted
the aid of such friends as Christpher Cross, Jeff Porcaro (of Toto),
Carl Wilson (of The Beach Boys) and songwriter Russ Ballard
(formerly of Argent).  Ballard contributed “You Can Do Magic,”
a 1982 Top 10 single  and America’s first major hit in
seven years.  Their final Top 40 entry was “The Border” in 1983.
America continues to tour and record.
  
Visit the official America website here.