England Dan & John Ford Coley
England Dan & John Ford Coley | |
|---|---|
 England Dan (left) and John Ford Coley, 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dallas,Texas,U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock,soft rock,country rock |
| Years active | 1970–1980 |
| Labels | A&M,Big Tree Records |
| Past members | Dan Seals John Ford Coley |
England Dan & John Ford Coleywere an Americansoft rockduo composed ofDanny Wayland "England Dan"SealsandJohn Edward "John Ford"Coley,active throughout the 1970s. NativeTexans,they are best known for their 1976 single "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight",a No. 2 hit on theBillboardHot 100[1]and a No. 1Adult Contemporaryhit. After they disbanded, Seals began performing as Dan Seals and launched acountry musiccareer through the 1980s which produced 11 No. 1 country hits.[2]
Career
[edit]Early years
[edit]The duo began while they were friends and classmates atW. W. Samuell High SchoolinDallas,Texas,United States. Seals and Coley performed first as part of local cover bands, including Playboys Five and Theze Few. They recorded a series of demos in Nashville as The Shimmerers, but their prospects ended with the death of their producer, before he could secure a recording deal for them. Their next grouping was Dallas pop/psych groupSouthwest F.O.B.( "Freight on Board" ),[3]whose material has been re-released on CD by theSundazedlabel.
Seals was the younger brother ofJim Sealsof the 1970ssoft rockduoSeals and Crofts.[3]Dan's childhood nickname, given to him by his brother Jim, was "England Dan" because he was afanofEnglishrock bandThe Beatles,and he occasionally adopted an affectedEnglishaccent. John Colley's last name was re-spelled "Coley" for ease of pronunciation; "Ford" was added as his middle name for flow purposes, thus England Dan and John Ford Coley.[4]
Both toured the Texas music scene where Southwest F.O.B. had one charting song, "The Smell of Incense", which rose to No. 56[5]on the pop chart in 1968. This band played on the bill with such acts asLed Zeppelin.While in the group, Seals and Coley began their own acoustic act,Colley and Wayland.The act was renamed England Dan & John Ford Coley, and the duo signed withA&M Recordsin 1970.[3]In 1971 they moved toLos Angeleswhere they opened for numerous bands. Their first break came in 1972, with the song "Simone". It became a No. 1 hit inJapanand also charted inFrance,but not in the US.
Big Tree and peak success
[edit]The duo was released in 1972 from its contract with A&M after two albums. Undaunted, the pair continued to press on, stumbling upon the song "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight",written by a youngMississippi-based songwriter,Parker McGee.They recorded a demo and played it in the office of Bob Greenberg, a senior VP atAtlantic Records.Atlantic had a subsidiary label namedBig Treein the same office and Big Tree's founder,Doug Morris,had heard the song through the wall and came into the room. When Greenberg decided against it, Morris said "We want it," and offered them a deal.[6]
Dan and John were paired with producerKyle Lehning,who had also produced McGee's demo. The result was a US #2 hit single in September 1976, which ultimately sold two million copies. July 1976 saw the release of England Dan & John Ford Coley's debut album for Big Tree,Nights Are Forever,also produced by Lehning.[3]Their second Big Tree single, "Nights Are Forever Without You", also written by Parker McGee, also made the Billboard Top 10.[3]After seeing the duo score a huge hit, A&M capitalized on the success by releasing a compilation album in 1976,I Hear Music,using songs recorded years earlier.
Both Seals and Coley embraced theBaháʼí Faithafter Seals tried to "talk some sense" with his brother Jim, circa 1972.[7]Years later, Coley returned to Christianity,[8]but Seals remained Baháʼí until his death.
Their second Big Tree LP,Dowdy Ferry Road,followed in March 1977, yielding the hit singles, "It's Sad To Belong (To Someone Else)" (#21) (written byRandy Goodrum) and Coley's "Gone Too Far" (#23).[3]The pair are also credited with writing and performing "It's All Up To You", the theme song to the 1977 NBC teen drama seriesJames at 15.
Some Things Don't Come Easy(March 1978) provided "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again",which peaked at No. 9 andDr. Heckle and Mr. Jive(March 1979) brought forth "Love Is the Answer"(written byTodd Rundgren), which was their last Top 10 hit and their final time in the Top 40 altogether, as follow-up "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart" stalled at No. 50 in late 1979.
During their early years on the road, the two performers played as an acoustic duo, but during their "hit years" on Big Tree they toured with a backup band that included Danny Gorman (drums, percussion), Bubba Keith (guitar, backing vocals), John Leland (bass), Ovid Stevens (guitar) and Michael Vernacchio (keyboards, synthesizers).
In March 1980, "In It For Love", one of two new recordings added toThe Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley(December 1979), managed to reach only #53 as a single. After contributing songs to the movieJust Tell Me You Love Mein 1980, the pair went their separate ways.
Aftermath
[edit]The duo split in 1980 when Seals decided to pursue a career incountry music,where he found success throughout the 1980s,[3]scoring hits such as "Meet Me in Montana"(withMarie Osmond) and "Bop".Seals died on March 25, 2009, following treatment formantle cell lymphoma.
Coley formed another group that released an album on A&M Records: Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley (featuring sisters Leslie and Kelly Bulkin),[3]then went on to do television and film appearances in the 1980s. He returned to an active touring schedule in the 1990s and 2000s and was also co-producer for acts such asEddie Money(withVince Gill) and Tom Wurth.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS [9] |
CAN | ||||
| 1971 | England Dan & John Ford Coley | — | — | — | — | A&M |
| 1972 | Fables | — | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | I Hear Music | 202 | — | — | — | |
| Nights Are Forever | 17 | 68 | 11 | Gold | Big Tree | |
| 1977 | Dowdy Ferry Road | 80 | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | Some Things Don't Come Easy | 61 | — | 73 | — | |
| 1979 | Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive | 106 | 69 | — | — | |
| The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley | 194 | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | Just Tell Me You Love Me(soundtrack)[10] | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley Vol. 2 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | The Very Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley | — | — | — | — | Rhino |
| 2015 | The Atlantic Albums + | — | — | — | — | Edsel |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | RIAA | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | CA | CA AC | AUS[9] | ||||
| 1972 | "New Jersey" | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | Fables |
| "Simone" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 25 | Gold | Nights Are Forever |
| "Nights Are Forever Without You" | 10 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 92 | — | ||
| 1977 | "It's Sad to Belong" | 21 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 90 | — | Dowdy Ferry Road |
| "Gone Too Far" | 23 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 71 | — | ||
| 1978 | "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" | 9 | 1 | 11 | 2 | — | — | Some Things Don't Come Easy |
| "You Can't Dance" | 49 | 22 | 62 | 34 | — | — | ||
| "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight" | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Westward Wind" | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | Nights Are Forever | |
| 1979 | "Love Is the Answer" | 10 | 1 | 33 | 18 | 79 | — | Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive |
| "What Can I Do with This Broken Heart" | 50 | 12 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "In It for Love" | 75 | 45 | — | — | — | — | The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley |
| 1981 | "Part of Me Part of You" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | Just Tell Me You Love Me(soundtrack) |
References
[edit]- ^"England Dan & John Ford Coley: Chart history".Billboard.com.RetrievedOctober 12,2019.
- ^"England Dan & John Ford Coley: Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 12,2019.
- ^abcdefghColin Larkin,ed. (1997).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music(Concise ed.).Virgin Books.p. 431.ISBN1-85227-745-9.
- ^"ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY".Bluedesert.dk.RetrievedOctober 12,2019.
- ^Whitburn, Joel(1997).Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1996.Record Research Inc. p. 572.ISBN0-89820-123-3.
- ^Barry Alfonso, essay in the booklet forThe Very Best of England Dan & John Ford Coley,Rhino Records, 1996, p. 5
- ^Casey Kasem,American Top 40,30 July 1977
- ^"John Ford Coley Comes Full Circle to Play What Got Him Started But with Lessons on the Way".Kool 101.7. 9 July 2013.Retrieved2018-07-28.
- ^abKent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 103.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"England Dan & John Ford Coley: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack".Varesesarabande.com.Archived fromthe originalon October 10, 2020.RetrievedOctober 12,2019.
Other sources
[edit]- Nite, Norm N.and Newman, Ralph M.:ROCK ON: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Rock N' Roll; Volume II:Thomas Y. Crowell: 1978, p. 152.ISBN9780690011968
External links
[edit]- Official website of John Ford Coley
- England Dan and John Ford Coley biographyat ClassicBands.com
- Official YouTube channel
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