Danny Wayland Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009) was an American musician. The younger brother of

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl ...

member

Jim Seals Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl ...

, he first gained fame as one half of the

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, who charted nine singles between 1976 and 1980, including the No. 2 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit " I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". After the duo disbanded, Seals began a solo career, starting in soft rock before shifting to

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he released 16

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

s and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Eleven of his singles reached number one: "

Meet Me in Montana "Meet Me in Montana" is a song recorded by American country music artists Dan Seals and Marie Osmond. It was released in July 1985 as the lead-off single from Seals' album '' Won't Be Blue Anymore'', and the second single from Osmond's 1985 albu ...

" (with

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and p ...

), " Bop" (also a No. 42 pop hit), "

Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold) "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dan Seals. It was released in March 1986 as the third single from the album '' Won't Be Blue Anymore''. It peaked at number one in both t ...

", " You Still Move Me", " I Will Be There", " Three Time Loser", " One Friend", " Addicted", " Big Wheels in the Moonlight", " Love on Arrival", and "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...

". Five more of his singles also reached top ten on the same chart.

Background

Dan's childhood nickname of "England Dan" was given to him by his brother Jim Seals (later of

). It was also Jim's idea to incorporate the name "England Dan" into England Dan & John Ford Coley. The nickname was a reference to the fact that, as a youngster, Dan had fixated on the Beatles and briefly affected an English accent.

Collaboration with John Ford Coley

Dan joined with fellow W. W. Samuell High School classmate and longtime friend John Ford Coley to perform first as part of Dallas pop/psych group

Southwest F.O.B. Southwest F.O.B. (" Freight On Board") was a 1960s psychedelic rock group from Dallas, Texas, now perhaps best remembered because it featured Dan Seals and John Colley, who later found great success as the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. The ...

Free On Board FOB (free on board) is a term in international commercial law specifying at what point respective obligations, costs, and risk involved in the delivery of goods shift from the seller to the buyer under the Incoterms standard published by the Inte ...

'), whose material has been re-released on CD by the Sundazed label. As England Dan & John Ford Coley, Seals made use of a nickname he had acquired in childhood for an affected

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

accent he assumed due to his love of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. In 1970 they were signed by A&M records, but a lack of US hits led to their being dropped two years later. Seals later recalled that this led to a period of severe financial challenge which ended only when the duo signed to Big Tree Records and had a run of six US Top 40 hits from the mid-1970s, beginning with " I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", the pair's biggest hit, reaching No. 2 in 1976 and becoming their only gold single. Their other hits include "Nights Are Forever Without You" (No. 10 in 1976–77); " It's Sad to Belong" (No. 21) and "Gone Too Far" (No. 23), both in 1977; " We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" (No. 9 in 1978); and their last Top 40 hit, " Love Is the Answer" (No. 10 in May 1979). After seven LPs, they disbanded in 1980 and Seals reinvented himself as a solo country-pop artist, signing with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

in 1980.

Solo career

When Seals signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

in 1983 he shifted to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

and began to record as Dan Seals. He initially struggled, but his voice and sentimental manner suited Nashville at a time when country music began to soften its rural styling. Seals' solo career began to turn around with the single "

God Must Be a Cowboy "God Must Be a Cowboy" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dan Seals. It was released in January 1984 as the fourth and final single from his album ''Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by A ...

", the fourth and final single of his 1983 album ''

Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released by Interscope Records on March 6, 2015. She worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Di ...

''. The song peaked at No 10 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, becoming the first in a string of 16 consecutive top ten and number one singles that stretched to 1990. A 1985 duet with

, "

", reached No 1 and Seals followed this with a run of eight chart-toppers. More hits followed, including his 11th country No 1 with a cover of Sam Cooke's "

" in 1990. Just as the pop rock market had changed radically in the 1980s, so did country music in the 1990s with the arrival of

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

' turbo-charged anthems. Seals devoted more time to his family and his religion, the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

, though he continued to record and tour; he performed at the Baháʼí World Congress in 1992.

Albums

''Stones'' and ''Harbinger''

He kept the name England Dan for his debut album, '' Stones''. Although no single charted on the country chart, his first single ever as a solo artist "Late at Night" did peak at No. 57 on the US Hot 100. Otherwise, it was unsuccessful. His next album, '' Harbinger'', was unsuccessful commercially. None of its singles charted, and he turned his attention to

and adapted his style to fit country radio's demands while still keeping his signature soft sound. He signed to

in 1983.

''Rebel Heart''

1983's ''

'', his first album for Capitol, was much more successful than his first two albums. The first single, " Everybody's Dream Girl", peaked at No. 18. The next single "After You", however, charted lower, at No. 28. " You Really Go for the Heart" was even less successful, but still managed to crack the top 40, reaching No. 37. The album's last single, "

" was much more successful than the album's first three singles, becoming his first top 10 hit in early 1984, at No. 10. The album peaked at No. 40 on the country albums chart, his first album to enter

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

''San Antone''

His 1984 album '' San Antone'' was even more successful. "

(You Bring Out) The Wild Side of Me "(You Bring Out) The Wild Side of Me" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dan Seals Danny Wayland Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009) was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals and Crofts ...

", the album's first single, reached No. 9. The next single "

My Baby's Got Good Timing "My Baby's Got Good Timing" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dan Seals. It was released in October 1984 as the second single from his album '' San Antone''. It peaked at #2, thus becoming his first top 5 hit. T ...

" became his first Top 5, at No. 2. In early 1985, the album's third and final single "

My Old Yellow Car "My Old Yellow Car" is a song written by Thom Schuyler, and recorded by American country music artist Dan Seals. It was released in February 1985 as the third and final single from his album '' San Antone''. It peaked at #9 in early-1985. It wa ...

" peaked at No. 9. This album peaked at No. 24 on the country albums chart.

''Won't Be Blue Anymore''

His 1985 album '' Won't Be Blue Anymore'' became his most successful studio album, reaching No. 1 on the country albums chart and earning

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

gold certification. "

", a duet with

, became his first No. 1 hit in 1985 and the first of nine straight Number Ones.Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p.284. . Written by Paul Davis, the single won the artists the Vocal Duo of the Year Award at the CMA awards in 1986. The album's next single, " Bop", also co-written by Paul Davis, with Jennifer Kimball, became his first solo No. 1 and was named Single of the Year at 1986's CMA awards. After it came "

", about a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

cowboy having to cope with

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wid ...

hood (written by Seals and fellow Texan

Bob McDill Robert Lee McDill (born April 4, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000. During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits. His songs were also recorded by popular artists of the 1970s, 1980s a ...

''On the Front Line''

'' On the Front Line'' reached No. 12 on the country albums chart. The three singles from it all reached No. 1 in 1987: " You Still Move Me", " I Will Be There", and " Three Time Loser".

''The Best''

Dan Seals released his first compilation album ''

The Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

'' in 1987. All of the songs included on the album were top ten hits. The lone new track " One Friend", which was originally included on 1984's ''San Antone'', was re-recorded for this collection and continued his No. 1 streak. The album peaked at No. 7 and was certified platinum.

''Rage On''

1988 saw the release of Dan Seals' '' Rage On'' album. The first single, " Addicted", not only became a No. 1 country hit but also got its writer,

Cheryl Wheeler Cheryl Wheeler (born July 10, 1951) is a Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded thirteen folk albums to date and has toured extensively throughout the United States since the mid-1970s. Heralded as a ...

, a contract with Capitol Records in 1989. The next single, the truck driving song " Big Wheels in the Moonlight", was released in late 1988, and reached No. 1 in early 1989, becoming his ninth No. 1 single in a row. This streak was broken when the album's third and final single " They Rage On" peaked at No. 5. The album peaked at No. 6, and is the second highest peaking of his albums.

''On Arrival''

Dan Seals began the 1990s with his eighth album, '' On Arrival''. The first single " Love on Arrival" reached No. 1 in 1990, and stayed there for three weeks. After it came a cover of the

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is common ...

standard "

". This cover was not only his last Number One, but also his last Top 40 hit, as the album's next two tracks ("Bordertown" and "Water Under the Bridge") failed to reach the top 40 in the United States, although they reached the top 40 in Canada.

''Greatest Hits''

Dan Seals' second compilation album, titled ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' was released in 1991. It contained his hits from the albums ''Won't Be Blue Anymore'', ''Rage On'', and ''On Arrival'', along with a new track, "Ball and Chain", which was not released as a single.

''Walking the Wire''

By this time, the country music landscape had changed abruptly, and Dan Seals found his style out of favor. He moved to Warner Bros. Records in 1991, and released '' Walking the Wire''. Only three of the five singles released from this album ("Sweet Little Shoe", "Mason Dixon Line", and "When Love Comes Around the Bend") actually charted, but none of them reached the top 40. One other single "We Are One" failed to chart. Additionally, the album failed to crack the top country albums chart.

Later albums, career and death

Although Dan Seals was a touring artist for the rest of the 1990s, he did release a few more albums on smaller labels throughout the decade, such as '' Fired Up'' in 1994, his final album for Warner Bros. He signed to Intersound and released '' In a Quiet Room'' in 1995, comprising acoustic versions of his earlier hits. He then switched to TDC and released ''

In a Quiet Room II ''In a Quiet Room II'' is the twelfth album released by country music artist Dan Seals and his only album on the TDC label. This album is his second album of acoustic versions of his older songs and a sequel to his previous album, ''In a Quiet Ro ...

'' in 1998, followed by ''Make It Home'' in 2002. In the early 2000s, Dan embarked on various tours with his brother Jim (of Seals and Crofts fame), billing themselves as Seals & Seals, and performing their successful hits from Seals & Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley, Dan's hits from his solo career, and a few original songs written between the two brothers. A few shows featured Jim's sons Joshua on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Sutherland on electric guitar. The status of the original recordings is unknown. In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for mantle cell lymphoma at

Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains acad ...

and at

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, and received a stem cell transplant at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...

(NIH) in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

. He died at the age of 61, on March 25, 2009, at his daughter's home in Nashville. Prior to Seals' death, he recorded two duets with

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

, for her 2010 release '' Duets: Friends & Memories'', covering

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

's 1986 hit "

These Dreams "These Dreams" is a song by American rock band Heart from their 1985 self-titled eighth studio album ''Heart''. It was released on January 18, 1986, as the album's third single, becoming the band's first song to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

". Four years after Seals' death,

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

recorded Seals' composition, "It's Gonna Be Easy Now." The track is featured as the closing number on Rogers' album ''

You Can't Make Old Friends "You Can't Make Old Friends" is a song by Kenny Rogers in duet with Dolly Parton from Roger's 2013 album of the same name. It was written by Ryan Hanna King, Don Schlitz, Caitlyn Smith. The song was released as a digital download on September ...

''.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Stones'' (1980) *'' Harbinger'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *'' San Antone'' (1984) *'' Won't Be Blue Anymore'' (1985) *'' On the Front Line'' (1986) *'' Rage On'' (1988) *'' On Arrival'' (1990) *'' Walking the Wire'' (1992) *'' Fired Up'' (1994) *'' In a Quiet Room'' (1995) *''

'' (1998) *''Make It Home'' (2002)

Compilation albums

*''

'' (1987) *''Portrait'' (1990) *''Early Dan Seals'' (1991) *''

'' (1991) *''The Best of Dan Seals'' (1994) *''Certified Hits'' (2001) *''The Best of Dan Seals'' (2005)

References

Bibliography

*Lomax III, John (1998). "Dan Seals". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 474–5.

External links

*
Obituary
in the

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel, also known as Knox News,'' is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''The ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seals, Dan 1948 births 2009 deaths American Bahá'ís American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American soft rock musicians Capitol Records artists Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma Singer-songwriters from Texas England Dan & John Ford Coley members 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís Deaths from cancer in Tennessee American country guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Texas People from McCamey, Texas Country musicians from Texas 20th-century American male singers