Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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SEALS and CROFTS

Soft-rock vocal and instrumental duo: Jim Seals (guitar, sax, fiddle; b 17 October 1942, Sidney TX; d 6 June 2022, Nashville) and Darrell Crofts (drums, mandolin, keyboards; b 14 August 1940, Cisco TX). Seals won a fiddle championship at age nine; they both toured in the Champs after the phenomenal novelty Latin rock'n'roll hit 'Tequila!' '68 (the touring band was different from the studio pros who made the records). They formed their own band the Dawnbreakers, and the entire group adopted the Bah'ai faith. They emerged as a duo '70, sentiments (and sentimentality) perhaps replacing the inactive Simon & Garfunkel among college audiences as pop music hurled itself onto MOR radio. They signed with WB and had eight top 40 singles '72-8 including 'Summer Breeze', 'Diamond Girl' and 'Get Closer', all no. 6, latter with Carolyn Willis (ex-Bob B. Soxx, Honey Cone). Chart LPs '71-8 included Year Of Sunday '71; Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl, Unborn Child '72-4, all gold LPs; two-disc Seals And Crofts I And II, a reissue of their first two on TA label; I'll Play For You and Greatest Hits '75, Get Closer and Sudan Village '76 (both with Willis), One On One '77 (a soundtrack), Takin' It Easy '78.