Jim Seals

I think it's underneath the stars above

Now, another fascinating record, because Jimmy Seals is a name that might surprise people who know him only for the soft rock duo Seals and Croft.

Famous for such fantastic songs as Summer Breeze, long before that success, Seals was making some wonderfully tough brass-driven soul.

Born in Texas, Seals became a guitarist, saxophonist and singer.

We did.

As a matter of fact, that name came from Jimmy Seals, from Seals and Crofts, because Jimmy Seals was the older brother of Dan.

So Dan used to walk around mimicking the English accent.

Okay.

So when you guys first started playing around, it was difficult for you to get a record deal, wasn't it?

It was.

But then we got really lucky because Jimmy Seals, Dan's brother, was working with one of the guys in the Wrecking Crew, which were the studio musicians in Los Angeles.

And he also had played with Seals and Cross and the group.

And rounding out that lot, Neil Sadaka with Happy Birthday Sweet 16.

We also had in there Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, who initially met when they were in a band together called the Dawnbreakers.

But after that band failed, the two decided to go it alone as a duo, going on to have huge success with songs such as that one, Summer Breeze.

And first up, talk about popular songs, the Village People's YMCA certainly fits the bill there.

Alan Howard was born in 1941.

Alan was the bass player, the original bass player, as a matter of fact, for the group the Tremolos had a hit back in 1963 called Do You Love Me? Jim Seals was born in 1942.

multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who was one half of the soft rock or yacht rock, if you will, duo of Seals and Crofts.

Had songs like Summer Breeze and Diamond Girl back in the 1970s.