Honoring Dash Crofts, who passed away earlier this week, today’s classic song of the day is one of Seals and Crofts’ biggest hits, “Hummingbird.” Released as a single in January 1973, this one went to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, #15 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #12 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.
All of Seals and Crofts songs were easy listening, in a way, with their gentle acoustic guitars and delicate harmonies. Many of their songs, including “Hummingbird,” were influenced by the duo’s Baha’i beliefs. In this instance, the “hummingbird” in the lyrics is a metaphor for the Baha’i prophet Baha’u’llah, an Iranian religious leader who lived during the 19th century and faced serious religious persecution.
Darrell “Dash” Crofts and his partner Jim Seals both hailed from Texas, where they played in a local band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cuts; Jim played sax and Dash was the drummer. They later moved to Los Angeles and joined up with the Champs, who’d had an earlier hit the tune “Tequila.” The duo left the Champs in 1963 to join Glen Campbell’s band (Mr. Campbell had also played with the Champs), then later decided to strike out on their own as a duo.
Around the same time, Jim and Dash were introduced to Baháʼí Faith, which inspired many of their songs, “Hummingbird” among them. The duo had a number of top forty hits, including “Summer Breeze” (#6 in 1972), “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).
Seals and Crofts broke up in 1980 when they were dropped by their record label, Warner Brothers. They pursued their own individual interests, reuniting only for the occasional Baháʼí gathering. Dash Crofts lived in Mexico for awhile, then in Australia, then Nashville. He ended up in his native Texas, raising Arabian horses.
Jim Seals had a stroke in 2017 and, after a long illness, passed away in 2022, aged 80. Dash Crofts passed away on March 25, 2026; he was 85 years old.
