Dan Seals
Dan's another Texas grown country singer who got his start in life on February 8th in McCamey, Texas. Dan's early years were spent in a two room house with his parents, older brother Jimmy - of Seals & Crofts fame - and his grandparents. While brother Jimmy and Dad were out on the road with various country bands - Jim Reeves and Ernest Tubb - Dan spent considerable time with his grandparents. Dan's early memories of his grandmother's stories eventually led to the writing of "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)".
Dan was just about ten when he moved to Dallas with his mom. It was there that he became involved with a local band and was featured on a minor 45 single release with a group called "Theze Few". It was also in Dallas that he met up with John E. Colley. Although not friends at first, it was their love of music that brought the two together. About eight months after joining the same band Dan was in, John and Dan got together to try their hand at writing music. In 1968 the band released an album called "Smell Of Incense" under the name of Southwest F.O.B. Shortly afterwards the then acid rock band lost their label deal. In 1969 Dan and John went out on their own as an acoustic act in the Dallas area under the name of Coley and Wayland. They then became England Dan and John Ford Coley with a little name suggestion from brother Jimmy. By 1971 they were opening for Elton John in England which was a major break for the duo. In the early 70's Dan and John weren't completely satisfied with the way things were going and went on an 18 month hiatus during which they performed at a few small clubs and did Baha'i Faith music shows called Firesides several times a week.
In 1975 the duo started recording again and were rewarded with a gold single in 1976 called "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". Several other well known hits followed which earned them the 1977 Top Duo nod from the music trade magazines. Despite the success of the duo by 1980 they had broken up. Dan eventually headed to Nashville after fulfilling contractual obligations. The IRS had a hand in things leaving Dan with just about nothing but the will to get back to his country roots.
By the time EMI decided that they liked Dan's music, he was about ready to toss in the towel. "Everybody's Dream Girl" caused some interest in the country music fields but it wasn't until the release of "God Must Be A Cowboy" that people really began to sit up and take notice. Award winning songs like "Bop" and "Meet Me In Montana" soon followed.
After splitting with Capitol Dan joined the Warner Brothers label wherein two albums were released. One of the albums - "Walkin The Wire" included a song called "We Are One" which is really the heart and soul of Dan. If he were asked what one thing he's the most proud of in his career, the bringing of the song "We Are One" and the accompanying video to his fans and the world would be his choice. He is equally proud of performing at the Baha'i World Congress in New York City in 1992. During Race Unity Day, Dan can usually be found somewhere trying to make the world a better place to live in.
Dan has since left Warner Brothers and has been recording under his own label which in turn is marketed through the Intersound label. His acoustic album "In A Quiet Room" is a real winner and has been joined now by his second acoustic album "In A Quiet Room II". Dan will be spending most of 1998 presenting his new "In A Quiet Room II" tour. Be sure to catch the show if he's in your area!
