The Bellamy Brothers are an American
pop and
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, ...
duo consisting of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950)
and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946),
from
Dade City, Florida
Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census.
Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and ...
.
The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit "
Let Your Love Flow" in 1976, a number one single on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Starting in the late 1970s, the Bellamy Brothers found success in country music as well, charting 10 number one singles, 25 top 10 and more than 50 hits overall on the
country charts. To date, they have released more than 50 albums, primarily on
Curb Records. They have also enjoyed success in continental Europe, with a compilation album topping the
Norwegian charts in 2011 and over two dozen hit songs that were released outside the US market. In 2013, their album ''Bellamy Brothers & Friends: Across the Sea'' landed at No. 5 in the
Swiss music chart and took the top spot in album sales for weeks in Switzerland.
It was their third major release in Europe in three years.
Their album ''Mermaid Cowgirl'', recorded in Switzerland and released in 2014, won them Gold Record status in Switzerland.
They also recorded four albums in Germany with
Ralph Siegel for release to the European market.
Early life
David and Howard Bellamy were inspired by many musical sources from an early age. Their father played
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, ...
around the house, and was also a member of a local
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...
band; in addition, they were inspired by the
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
music their sister played. Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to play
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
,
mandolin, and
banjo. In addition, David learned
accordion,
fiddle,
organ, and
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
.
Their first musical gig was in 1968 at a benefit concert with their father in
San Antonio, Florida
San Antonio, or unofficially San Ann as the locals call it, is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. It lies within Florida' ...
, at the Rattlesnake Roundup.
Their first paid gigs were playing fraternity parties at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
.
Soon after, the brothers moved to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and formed a band called Jericho.
However, playing in bands and clubs proved tiresome for the brothers, who soon moved back home.
The brothers were soon noticed by a friend of recording artist
Jim Stafford, who eventually recorded "
Spiders & Snakes", written by Stafford and David. "Spiders & Snakes" went on to become a top five hit, providing the Bellamys with the money to move to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
Howard became a
road manager for Stafford.
Music career
1970s
The duo signed to
Curb Records in 1975. A single featuring only David, "Nothin' Heavy", was unsuccessful. However, at the suggestion of
Neil Diamond's drummer Dennis St. John, the brothers recorded and released the single "
Let Your Love Flow", written by Diamond's roadie Larry Williams. Released in 1976, "Let Your Love Flow" was a No. 1 single on the U.S.
pop charts, as well as more than a dozen countries worldwide.
Although "Let Your Love Flow" was also a hit on the
Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the Bellamys' country music success was limited until 1979, when "
If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was released. The song, with its ''
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
'' title derived from a
Groucho Marx quote, landed the Bellamys their first country music No. 1 in the United States. It was first played on radio in the United Kingdom in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in 1979 and went on to become Record of the Year in the UK in 1979. In a 2003 issue of ''Country Weekly'' magazine, the title was named the number 1 country
pick-up line of all time.
`
1980s and 1990s
After the success of "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me", the brothers continued with a run of country hits, including tunes such as "
Redneck Girl", "Santa Fe", and the social commentary pieces "
Old Hippie
"Old Hippie" is a song written by David Bellamy, and recorded by American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers. It was released in April 1985 as the first single from their album ''Howard & David''.
The song reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' H ...
" and "
Kids of the Baby Boom".
''
Billboard'' named the Bellamy Brothers as Top Country Duo,
and they eventually went on to set the record for most duo nominations from both the
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
and
Country Music Association.
The brothers worked on a number of collaborative efforts with other musicians during this period. They recorded "Too Much Is Not Enough" with
The Forester Sisters
The Forester Sisters were an American country music vocal group consisting of sisters Kathy, June, Kim, and Christy Forester. Having performed together locally in their native Lookout Mountain, Georgia, since the 1970s, the four sisters began si ...
in 1986
and "
Drive South" with them in 1990.
In 1993, they recorded "Stayin' in Love" with
Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. He was best ...
and
Flaco Jiménez
Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...
.
In 1997, they recorded "Catahoula" with
Eddy Raven
Edward Garvin Futch (born August 19, 1944), known professionally as Eddy Raven, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1962, Raven has recorded for several record labels, including ABC, Dimension, Elektra, RCA, Univer ...
and
Jo-El Sonnier,
while in 1997 they recorded "Everyone's Somebody's Darlin'" with
Nicolette Larson. In 1999, they recorded "(Don't Put Me In) The Ex Files" with
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...
,
and that same year they recorded "Vertical Expression" with Freddy Fender and then with
Eduardo Araujo.
In 1991, the Bellamys switched to
Atlantic Records. Their tenure there produced one album before the duo formed their own label, Bellamy Brothers Records. They were one of the first country music artists to have their own record label, and have been licensing albums from their own record label for 25 years.
In 1999, they switched to Blue Hat Records for their ''Lonely Planet'' album.
2000s
In 2005, the Bellamys returned to Curb Records to record ''Angels & Outlaws, Volume 1'', a compilation album featuring re-recordings of the duo's older hits with additional artists, including
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
,
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...
,
Tanya Tucker and
Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...
.
A re-recorded version of "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me", featuring Dolly Parton, spent one week at No. 60 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs chart in 2005.
In March 2007, "Redneck Girl" was covered by
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
on the soundtrack to ''
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning''.
The Bellamys released an album of
gospel music, titled ''Jesus Is Coming'', on May 8, 2007. Its title track was previously recorded on ''Native American'' in 1995. The album received two
Dove Award nominations, and a second gospel album, ''Pray for Me'', was released in 2012.
They had many guest singers on this album. Their sister Ginger sang with them on the song "Suppertime", and Deborah Allen sang background vocals with Vicky Hampton on the album. Irish actor and musician Kieran McHugh played penny whistle for the song "Hymn to Him".
In 2008, the song "Let Your Love Flow" was used in the
Barclaycard
Barclaycard (; stylized as barclaycard) is a brand for credit cards of Barclays PLC. , Barclays had over ten million customers in the United Kingdom.
History
Barclays launched Barclaycard on 29 June 1966, initially as a charge card, but followi ...
advert for their new contactless cards. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at No. 48 based on downloads, peaked at No. 21 in the pop charts in March 2009, and was listed on BMI's list of Top 100 Song of the Century at No. 68 that same year. A cover by Petra Haden was used in a 2010
Toyota Prius commercial.
''The Anthology, Vol. 1'' was released in 2009 and includes the single "Guilty of the Crime", which is a collaboration with the
Bacon Brothers. The video features
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty (, born April 12, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985); Kris Witherspoon in '' Our Hous ...
of ''
Beverly Hills, 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...
'' fame. Both sets of brothers performed the song together on the
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 1, 2009.
In 2010, the Bellamys recorded ''The Greatest Hits Sessions'' with Swiss rock star
Gölä (Marco Pfeuti) and the project sold double platinum in Europe.
It was at number one of the Swiss Schweizer Hitparade for 7 weeks. In 2011, they created ''BB&G Platinum'' with Gölä. Then, in 2014, they teamed up again with Gölä and recorded ''Mermaid Cowgirl'' in Switzerland. They achieved gold record status in Switzerland with this album.
In June 2010, their song "Jalepeños", about the problems of political correctness, was banned before it could even be released to radio because of its profanity. The video became a major
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
hit with almost 3 million views.
In 2012, the Bellamy Brothers collaborated with Austrian schlager singer
DJ Ötzi to create the album ''Simply the Best''. It was DJ Ötzi's first full English-language album, and entered the
German album charts
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustr ...
at number three.
In June 2014, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine ranked "
Old Hippie
"Old Hippie" is a song written by David Bellamy, and recorded by American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers. It was released in April 1985 as the first single from their album ''Howard & David''.
The song reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' H ...
" #95 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.
During these years the brothers worked on many other collaborative song efforts as well. They recorded "Hello, Lady Harley" with
Truck Stop in 2003,
worked with Alan Jackson in 2005,
and collaborated with Tom Astor in 2007.
In April 2018, the group released the memoir ''Let Your Love Flow - The Life and Times of the Bellamy Brothers''. The Bellamys then released their album ''Over the Moon'' in 2019, which consisted of 14 original songs written and recorded at the Bellamys' studio on their Darby ranch.
''Honky Tonk Ranch''
In 2018 the brothers became the feature of the reality television series ''
Honky Tonk Ranch'', which aired on the
Cowboy Channel
The Cowboy Channel (formerly FamilyNet) is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes, which carries Western lifestyle, Western and rodeo sports. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Net ...
and
RFD-TV. The series follows the Bellamys in addition to their friends and family. A second season of ''Honky Tonk Ranch'' aired in 2019.
In 2020, the show moved to the
Circle Network where seasons one and two aired along with season three.
Personal life
In the late 1990s, David's sons Noah and Jesse became active in the music scene and the sons currently perform as the duo
Jesse and Noah.
The Bellamy Brothers live in Darby, Florida, on a 200-acre ranch, where they raise
Brahman cattle and
quarter horses, with three generations of their family living in the compound.
The ranch is also the location of the recording studio where much of their work is recorded.
In 2020, the brothers partnered with a Florida
medical cannabis company called Trulieve to produce a signature line of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
products named "Old Hippie Stash". Said David: has] helped Howard and me on many levels. There was a stigma for so long, but now people are talking about it seriously and considering cannabis as an alternative for stress, anxiety, pain management and many other health factors."
Discography
Honors and awards
*
Grammy Award, Grammy nomination for Best Country Performance by a duo or group and Best Country & Western Song (1980)
*Named the Most Promising Group of the Year by CMA (1980)
*Lifetime Membership of the Federation of International Country Air Personalities (1982)
*Named Top Country Duo by ''
Billboard'' (1982)
*Record for the most duo nominations in both the
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
(ACM) and the
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
(CMA)
*"Let Your Love Flow" placed on the BMI list of the top 100 most played songs of the 20th century (1999)
*Received two
Dove
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
nominations for "Jesus Is Coming"
*Members of the German Country Music Hall of Fame (only American members with the exception of Johnny Cash)
*"Old Hippie" named by ''Rolling Stone'' as one of its top 100 greatest country songs of all time (2014)
*Inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame (2018)
Tours
The brothers have 200 or more concert dates worldwide each year.
They have had concerts in the United States, Europe,
Australia and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and have been to distant (from their US base) places like
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Sri Lanka,
New Caledonia,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
, the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
and the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
In 1999, The Bellamy Brothers played for American troops stationed in
Bosnia, and on
Easter Sunday
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...
2000, they gave a concert for American troops in war-torn
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
as well as a concert at a remote camp in Macedonia. In 2014, they toured in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Sri Lanka and made history as the first country music act touring in those Asian countries.
In 2019 and 2020, the Bellamy Brothers participated in
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
's "Friends and Heroes Tour".
Charities
The brothers have traveled around the world playing benefit concerts for
American troops abroad including performances throughout
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Japan,
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
,
Bosnia and
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. When they played at
Camp Bondsteel
Camp Bondsteel is the operation headquarters of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo. It is located near Ferizaj in eastern Kosovo. It is the Regional Command-East headed by the United States Army (U.S. Army) and it is supported by troops from Gre ...
in Kosovo in 2000, it was the first time that the base had allowed a band to play.
In 2011, the brothers supported
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
victims in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
when they joined the
New Zealand Red Cross
New Zealand Red Cross or Ripeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 15,000 members and volunteers. In New Zealand, Red Cross delivers core community services, such as Meals on Wheels, Community Transport, Refugee ...
and Judy Seale International to raise support through live auctions.
In 2016, the Bellamy Brothers partnered with the
Susan G. Komen Foundation
Susan G. Komen (formerly known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure; originally as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; often simply as Komen) is a breast cancer organization in the United States.
Komen focuses on patient navigation and advo ...
to release a video for "Let Your Love Flow." They supported the foundation's breast cancer research by donating one dollar for every digital download of their 40 Year package.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellamy Brothers, The
Country music groups from Florida
Atlantic Records artists
Businesspeople in the cannabis industry
Country music duos
Curb Records artists
Elektra Records artists
MCA Records artists
Musical groups established in 1968
People from Pasco County, Florida
Sibling musical duos
Warner Records artists
Pasco High School (Florida) alumni