America, the Band

March 16, 2020
Journalist Warne debuts with a meticulous and entertaining account of 1970s folk rock band America. Drawing from extensive research and interviews, Warne traces the lives of band members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek, all Air Force brats who met in London in the 1960s and bonded over their shared American heritage and love of playing music. Following in the footsteps of their musical heroes—the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young—they began writing music with what Warne describes as “timeless human themes of love, joy, and celebration of the natural world.” America moved from England to California soon after starting, and Warne blends their story into that of the L.A. music scene, where they met and worked with such notables as David Geffen, Brian Wilson, and Harry Nilsson. She tracks their career from the 1971 smash hit “A Horse with No Name,” through their decline in the 1980s when their recording began to sound “corporate,” to their resurgence in the 1990s and their 50th anniversary in 2020. Warne’s passion for the band is evident throughout, as when she describes “A Horse with No Name”—“it highlighted overarching life themes like freedom, truth, and the power of nature.” Classic rock fans will enjoy this easygoing biography.

April 1, 2020

Music journalist Warne has written the first full-length book about the multiplatinum band America, which despite selling millions of records was much neglected by critics. This authorized and laudatory biography explores the childhoods of band members Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley, and Dewey Bunnell, who, growing up in Air Force families, traveled constantly. In 1970, as students in London's Central High School, they formed America and in 1972 enjoyed a meteoric rise with the release of their self-titled album and the single "A Horse with No Name," which featured acoustic guitars and three-part harmonies and reflected the teenagers' fascination with the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Neil Young. The group moved to California, and their subsequent megahits embodied a laid-back post-1960s vibe. Finally, Warne outlines the band's work with noted Beatles producer George Martin, Peek's exit from the group in 1977, and their increasingly pop-oriented, string-drenched albums of the past four decades. VERDICT Drawing from interviews with Beckley and Bunnell, Warne has started the process of refurbishing the reputation of America. Fans will be delighted, and those who sold them short will be impressed.--David P. Szatmary, formerly with Univ. of Washington, Seattle

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