It’s impossible to describe the band America without mentioning that they started in the 70s. There’s something so centrally important about that decade for music in general, but for this band specifically.

It’s the only time in the last 100 years or so when bands could get away with story-telling song lyrics. Their breakthrough hit, “A Horse with No Name,” is proof of that. Even after listening to it a few times, you don’t exactly know what happened – which is how a lot of people describe living through that decade, anyways. So what makes this soft rock group different than all the others from those years? Learn more, below.

Making the Band

The US Air Force is to thank for the band America. No, seriously, we’re not joking. The first three members of the band are all military brats, and met in high school, at a base school. The three friends, Dewey Bunnel, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley finished high school, then created the band, Daze. That band didn’t last long – and neither did its fourth member. Within a year, the boys decided to rebrand as America, and go back to their original lineup: the three childhood friends. That was a good choice, it seems, as they started America in the spring of 1970, and recorded an EP in the fall.

Soft Rockstars

The three boys (now men) have put out around 15 albums in their fifty years together. That’s pretty impressive for what started as a just-for-fun jam band! And they would still be making music together, except Dan Peek died in 2011. The two remaining men honor him by continuing to play music together for their fans. It’s what Dan would have wanted.