Yesterday we featured a song by “England Dan” Seals and his partner John Ford Coley (the classic “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight“), so today let’s do a mellow soft rock song of the day by Mr. Seals’ older brother, Jim Seals, and his partner, Dash Crofts. “Summer Breeze” was released by Seals and Crofts in August of 1972 and hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Seals and Crofts were a pretty big deal in the early ’70s. Jim Seals and Darrell “Dash” Crofts were both Texas musicians who, in the late 1950s, were playing in a local band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cuts; Jim played sax and Dash was the drummer. When that band broke up they moved to Los Angeles, along with Mr. Beard, and joined a band called the Champs, who had earlier had a #1 hit with 1958’s “Tequila.” (Little-known fact: the guitarist in the Champs was a southern boy named Glen Campbell.) Seals, Crofts, and Mr. Campbell left the Champs in 1963 to form a band they called Glen Campbell and the GCs. That band lasted just a few years and, after a few more failed groups and being introduced to the Baháʼí Faith, Jim and Dash decided to strike out as a duo. That was a good decision, as they racked up a number of top forty hits, including “Hummingbird” (#20 in 1973), “Diamond Girl” (#6 in 1973), “We May Never Pass This Way Again” (#21 in 1973), “I’ll Play for You” (#18 in 1975), “Get Closer” (#6 in 1976), and “You’re the Love” (#18 in 1978).
“Summer Breeze” was written by Misters Seals and Crofts and featured on their album of the same name. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #13 on their list of Best Summer Songs of All Time, and that’s fitting. It’s a mellow little ditty about nothing more than the joys of feeling a soft summer breeze. That was fine for the time and it’s still fine today. It’s comforting.
In 1980, when it was evident that their hit-making days were over, Warner Brothers dropped the duo from the label. Jim and Dash went their own ways for awhile, joining up only for the occasional Baháʼí gathering. They reunited in 1991 for a year’s worth of concerts then disbanded again for another decade. They got back together again in 2004 to record a new album and do a little touring. Jim actually toured with his brother Dan for a bit in the 2000s, as Seals and Seals.
Jim Seals had a stroke in 2017 and, after a long illness, passed away in 2022, aged 80. Dash Crofts is still alive today but no longer performing. He’s 82 years old.
