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WILKES-BARRE — The memory remains clear.
We were heading out somewhere, probably Sandy Beach. It was 1971 and a song came on WARM, the Mighty 590 — “A Horse With No Name” by America.
If you know the song, like us, you have no idea what that song is about. But it was a cool song and we listened and we sang along:
“I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can’t remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la”
Wait — what?
Didn’t matter. Like I said, it was a really cool song. And it was the first great song by America. I had all of their albums. I bought a songbook and tried to play them on my 12-string acoustic guitar. And to the dismay of my pals and neighbors, I even tried to sing them.
So you can imagine the adrenaline rush I got when Dewey Bunnell called me for an interview last week. Dewey is the only original member of America who is still performing. He and the current America band will be at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.
Yes, I plan to be there singing along to all those great songs.
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can’t remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
The iconic platinum-selling group America is celebrating its 54th anniversary with the Ride On Tour 2024. Their best-known tunes, which also include “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair,” were cornerstones of ‘70s Top 40 and FM rock radio. And also “Only in Your Heart,” “Daisy Jane,” and “You Can Do Magic.” And many more.
Dewey Bunnell, 72, started out with Gerry Beckley, who retired from performing at age 70, and the late Dan Peek. They met in high school in London, England — their fathers were all in the U.S. Air Force.
Dewey said soon after they met, they discovered that they all played guitar and they sang in perfect harmony. So they decided to “write some songs” and the rest is history.
“Sometimes I forget how many people who have been around since the beginning,” Dewey said. “And they want to hear all those great songs.”
Dewey said when Dan Peek went away to college, he and Gerry Beckley stayed and worked on the music.
“When Dan came back, we found out we were all writing songs,” Dewey said. “It was magic — our three-part harmony blended perfectly.”
Dewey said things happened very fast. He said they were fortunate to meet the right people in London and the hits started flowing.
And oh yeah, that song — “A Horse With No Name” — Dewey said despite all the stories that have circulated, it was a song about his love for the desert and nature.
“I wrote it in England while conjuring up images of the desert,” he said. “I was pondering my fate out there in the desert alone.”
Dewey said his time with Beckley and Peek will always be cherished. He said having met so many great bands, like the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Beatles will be with him forever.
“The music —it’s everything,” Dewey said. “And the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s transcends generations.”
He notes that America has played through the vinyl record era, 8-track tape era, cassette era, CDs, and now streaming.
“I’m biased, but to me the music of the 60s and 70s impacted me and so many others,” Dewey said. “There were so many great groups and bands and so, so many great hit songs!”
And still today, Dewey said it’s very fulfilling for him to take the stage and sing those great songs and have the audience sing along.
“I really do enjoy it and I want to keep doing it,” he said. “Traveling is in my blood. And while I’m still healthy enough, I’ll keep going.”
It’s been an awesome career for Dewey and America. He said he self-taught himself to play the guitar.
“It’s in my bloodstream,” he said.
For tickets, call the Kirby Center box office at 570-826-1100.
This concert will take all attending back to the days when the world was changing at the speed of light. Fashion, morals, politics, government, attitudes — everything.
But the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s kept us together. It was all so new and different and, well, awesome. To have been there when it all happened was amazing.
That’s why I’ll be there to listen to Dewey Bunnell and America play all those great songs as they take me back to an era when everything changed.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.