GERRY BECKLEY, the illustrious singer, songwriter, performer and co-founder of legendary band America, releases the soulful « Red and Blue, » a recently penned commentary whose title leaves no mystery about its subject matter. « It’s something any of us who are politically aware can’t really avoid, to be honest, » says Beckley, who has, with America, played in all 50 states — appropriate given the band name. « We were in red states as much as we were in blue states, and I like to think it was an opportunity for everyone to come together and put everything else aside and let’s let the music be the message this evening. It was a lovely way to stay out of the line of fire, so to speak. » Beckley ends the song with a harmonica solo (played by Stan Behrens) that thoughtfully, and optimistically, blends « Dixie » into « Over the Rainbow. »
Beckley’s TENTH solo album, titled simply Gerry Beckley, will be released on June 28, 2024 via Blue Élan Records. When America recently took an open-ended hiatus from touring, Beckley found time to go through some of the songs he had put away for a rainy day. Beckley had a lot to choose from – chronologically, stylistically, topically. For instance, first single « Crazy » dates back more than 10 years, first written between breaks of America’s then-grueling tour schedule. Working with longtime producer and collaborator Jeff Larson, Beckley explains « Jeff and I found it on a hard drive, and I thought, ‘That’s pretty good. Gimme some time,' » remembers Beckley, who maintains studios in his two residences of Venice, CA and Sydney, Australia.