Friday Nite Retro - England Dan and John Ford Coley

Last Friday I profiled the work of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, so it seemed only natural to follow up with music by Jim's brother (England) Dan and his partner, John Ford Coley. The bands were active during the same time span in the mid 1970's. Seals' childhood nickname was "England Dan" because he was a fan of The Beatles, and his affected English accent. John Colley's last name was shortened to "Coley" for ease of pronunciation; "Ford" was added as his middle name for flow purposes, thus England Dan and John Ford Coley.

I'd Really Love to See You Tonight


Nights Are Forever Without You


It's Sad To Belong


Gone Too Far


We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again


Love is the Answer


Dan Seals went on to a solo career in country music after splitting with Coley. In his solo career, he released sixteen studio albums and charted more than twenty singles on the country charts. Eleven of his singles reached Number One: "Meet Me in Montana" (with Marie Osmond), "Bop" (also a #42 pop hit), "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)", "You Still Move Me", "I Will Be There", "Three Time Loser", "One Friend", "Addicted", "Big Wheels in the Moonlight", "Love on Arrival", and a cover of Sam Cooke's "Good Times". Four more of Seals' singles also reached Top Ten on the country charts.

John Ford Coley went on to form another group that released an album on A&M Records. Then, he went on to act in teen films in the 1980s, acquired a small ranch in the 1990s, and wrote songs for film and TV. He returned to touring in 1996 and has an active tour schedule where Coley plays the hits and other favorite songs. Coley plays with groups including Ambrosia, Terry Sylvester, formerly of The Hollies and rides the bill with numerous other acts including Three Dog Night, Lou Gramm (of Foreigner), Christopher Cross, Poco, Stephen Bishop, Al Stewart, Edgar Winter and others.