America celebrates 50+ years with tour, live album

America – Live From the Hollywood Bowl 1975 will be released on September 6th

America is celebrating its 54th anniversary with a series of national tour dates in 2024. Billed as the Ride On Tour 2024, it launched on July 18th in Minneapolis and will continue throughout the year. Known for their timeless magic and powerful performances, the Grammy Award-winning perennial classic-rock favorite will draw on their deep catalog of hits including signature song “A Horse With No Name,” a No. 1 smash on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1972.

Meanwhile, the group will release a new live album, America – Live From The Hollywood Bowl 1975, on September 6th via Primary Wave with distribution by Sun Records. Previously available as a Record Store Day exclusive, this album features never-before-heard recordings of their iconic 1975 performance backed by a symphony conducted by the legendary George Martin and will now be widely released on CD, a new red vinyl variant, and digitally for the first time. This extraordinary performance has been preserved in never-before-heard tapes recently restored and remastered for this special release.

On their way to becoming a global household name, America’s journey found them exploring musical terrain. Their best-known tunes, which also include “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair,” were cornerstones of 1970’s Top 40 and FM rock radio. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners would discover there was always much more to America than surface perceptions. The combination of melodic pop-rock and folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms, and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with other more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

America’s albums–six certified gold and/or platinum, with their first greatest hits collection, History, hitting four plus million in sales–displayed a fuller range of the trio’s talents than did their singles. Their material encompassed an ambitious artistic swath; from effects-laden rockers to oddball medleys to soul-bearing ballads, America displayed a flawless blend of disparate genres and styles as wide-open as the great American plains.

Enjoying massive success early in their career, America earned their stripes as musical soldiers on the battlefield amidst the excess, craziness, and chaos of the 70’s. The trio won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1972 and began working with George Martin and Geoff Emerick in 1974. This successful team went on to record seven albums and several Top 10 hits, including “Tin Man,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Lonely People.”

From their formative years, America has been a band capable of transcending borders with its uplifting music and positive message. Embracing a rainbow of divergent cultures, America’s audiences continue to grow, comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third-generation fans, all bearing testament to the group’s enduring appeal.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn