America’s Gerry Beckley Paints His Self-Portrait
The classic rock legend talks about his bold self-titled solo album
“It’s inevitably going to be a self-portrait,” says Gerry Beckley during a video call from his home in Sydney, Australia. “There’s no way around that.”
He’s referring to solo albums – including his own latest one, Gerry Beckley, which was just released in late June via Blue Élan Records.
Some of the ideas for these songs first came to Beckley twenty years ago. Other songs, such as “Red and Blue” – which urges people to find common ground instead of letting political opinions be so divisive – are very recent. Regardless of their origin, though, Beckley infuses all of the material with his distinctive knack for melody and memorable lyrics.
“I always think a solo album is a challenge for that particular artist – doesn’t matter how well established they are,” Beckley says. “You’re listening to, in theory, one person’s point of view, one person’s voice. I think that when you’re dealing with a group, different singers, different writers, it makes it a little easier to go through a 10 or 12 song experience.”
This leads him to reflect on his longstanding membership in America, the celebrated rock band who had numerous hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including “Sister Golden Hair,” “I Need You” (both of which Beckley wrote, and also sings the lead vocals), as well as “A Horse with No Name,” “Lonely People,” “You Can Do Magic,” and many more.
AUDIO: America “A Horse With No Name’
“All of the years that I’ve done records with Dewey [Bunnell], my partner in America, his is the most important opinion on the table,” Beckley says. “I highly respect his ear and his voice and every aspect of that dynamic. And I think those albums are obviously much better for that. I think that he gives me the same respect.”
Beckley first met Bunnell and his other future America bandmate, Dan Peek, when they were all attending the same high school in London, England. They bonded over the fact that they were Americans whose fathers were U.S. military men who were stationed at a nearby U.S. Air Force Base. They also shared a deep love for music playing acoustic guitar-based music.
The trio soon formed a cover band, playing the latest Top 40 hits at whatever London clubs would book them. Beckley recalls they particularly loved playing “Night in White Satin” by The Moody Blues and “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Before long, Beckley and his bandmates had named the group America, and all three members were writing original songs that capitalized on the vocal talents that each of them possessed.
“We all were quite prolific,” he says. “We all had different vocal ranges, so when we did harmonies, we weren’t stepping on each other, and so it was really inspiring for the three of us.”
This proved even more popular than playing cover songs had been, and Beckley recalls that they were constantly gigging. He knew something special was happening when he noticed how audience members would pull their chairs right up to the front of the stage so they could listen intently to the songs. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘This is going well – there might be something here.’ So that sticks with me; I remember that quite well,” he says.
America quickly landed a record deal and released their self-titled debut album in 1971. It was immediately successful thanks to the singles “A Horse with No Name” and “I Need You” – both of which became massive international hits, and are now regarded as folk rock classics.
“We had an incredibly quick ascension with America. Our first album and single were basically number one records around the world. The second album sold more than the first,” Beckley says. That sophomore album, Homecoming (1972), featured the hit single “Ventura Highway.”
America’s success may have seemed to have happened extraordinarily fast, but Beckley says that he and his bandmates weren’t surprised in the least by this. “We were exactly where we expected to be,” he says. “We were writing songs, and they were selling. It was everybody around us that was kind of mind blown at the success that was coming our way.”
For his part, Beckley had always seemed destined for this kind of success with music. At four years old, he was playing the piano, encouraged by his music-loving mother, who was fond of Russian classical composers such as Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.
Her son ended up sharing her admiration for those composers. “Those guys, I think, were really at the crux of melody,” Beckley says. “It was complex enough in structure that it wasn’t completely predictable. There were all kinds of lovely left turns, musically, but there was also a really beautiful thread of melody that wove through that stuff.”
As Beckley grew older, he developed a strong admiration for pop music, as well – particularly The Beach Boys and The Beatles: “There were two shining examples of an almost bottomless list of beautiful inspirational pop material with incredible melodies – that’s something they both had in common.”
All of these influences are evident in the melody-focused material that Beckley has become renowned for writing, both for America and in his solo career. It is a skill he has always taken very seriously: “I never phone this stuff in. I really try,” he says.
With his new solo album, though, Beckley did experiment with a new way of approaching his craft. “As I was assembling these tunes and working on them, it was the first time that I actually felt that I wasn’t having to fit it in between a pretty hectic schedule of travel, so I really think it’s far more cohesive,” he says. “I had enough time in my schedule to really focus on it and come up with the best, I think.”
Beckley has more time on his hands these days because at the end of last year, he announced that he was retiring from touring. “We had been doing about a hundred shows for virtually 53 straight years, and I knew that I was really tired,” he says, “and I’d turned 70 and wanted some time with friends and family that didn’t involve having to say goodbye every other day.”
He stresses that there is no bad blood behind this decision, and he remains a member of America in all other respects. He also fully supports the rest of the band as they continue performing without him, as they will do with shows across the U.S. throughout this summer and fall. “I totally support it. I’m very excited for them, and really wishing them all the best,” Beckley says.
VIDEO: Gerry Beckley “Red and Blue”
His own touring days may be done, but Beckley promises he’ll continue to write and record music. “I am pretty prolific; I write a lot. I have never been short of an idea,” he says. He has his own studios in Sydney and in Venice, California, where he also has a residence, so that he can record whenever inspiration strikes.
Though he’s firmly focused on his new solo album and what he plans to do next, Beckley is also happy to take a moment to reflect on what he has achieved during his long career with America.
“I’ve had an incredibly successful run for decades, and so I’m grateful,” he says. “I’m so happy with what we accomplished. I’m very happy, and proud. I think what we did is good stuff. It is a great body of work.”
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January 7, 2021 -
Love the article on Gerry Beckley. I have been a fan of him since the 70’S. Adore him! So talented. Still love America, but will miss him touring,will always love him.My favorite musician. I wish him all the best with his retirement.