Seals & Crofts
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | Dawnbreakers (band) |
| Founded | 1969 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Jim Seals and Dash Crofts |
| Defunct | 1981 (first dissolution) |
| Fate | Hiatus and reunions; final album in 2004 |
| Successor | Seals & Seals (Jim Seals and Dan Seals collaboration) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Australia |
Key people | Jim Seals, Dash Crofts |
| Products | Music albums and singles (notably "Summer Breeze", "Diamond Girl", "Get Closer") |
Number of employees | 2 (duo) |
| Website | www |
Seals & Crofts were a soft rock duo from the United States, originating in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, composed of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts. They gained widespread recognition for their chart-topping singles such as "Summer Breeze" (1972), "Diamond Girl" (1973), and "Get Closer" (1976), each reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both members were vocal supporters of the Baháʼí Faith. The partnership dissolved in 1981 but reunited briefly between 1989 and 1992, and once more in 2004, when they issued their final album, Traces. Subsequently, Seals collaborated with his brother, the successful singer-songwriter "England" Dan Seals, under the name Seals & Seals.
Early careers
Born in Texas—Crofts in Cisco in 1938 and Seals in Sidney in 1942—Jim Seals and Dash Crofts initially crossed paths when Crofts served as a drummer for a local group. Seals was part of the rockabilly outfit Dean Beard and the Crew Cats, playing saxophone; Crofts later joined this ensemble. Following the 1958 success of "Tequila," they relocated to Los Angeles to become members of the Champs. In 1959, Seals toured with Eddie Cochran.
Seals penned "It's Never Too Late," which was recorded by Brenda Lee in 1961 as the B-side to her U.S. Billboard No. 6 hit "You Can Depend on Me." The track achieved No. 101 on Billboard and No. 100 on Cash Box.
By 1963, Seals, Crofts, along with Glen Campbell and Jerry Cole, departed from the Champs to establish Glen Campbell and the GCs, performing regularly at The Crossbow venue in Van Nuys, California. After this group disbanded, Crofts returned to Texas while Seals joined the Dawnbreakers—a band named after a book chronicling the origins of the Baháʼí Faith. Crofts later rejoined Seals with the Dawnbreakers in California; both embraced the Baháʼí Faith. Their beliefs significantly shaped their songwriting and public engagements, during which they frequently shared Bahá'í principles and distributed related literature.
As Seals & Crofts
Following the breakup of the Dawnbreakers, Seals and Crofts formed a duo with Seals handling guitar, saxophone, and violin duties, while Crofts played guitar and mandolin. In 1969, they secured a contract with Talent Associates and released two albums; only their second album entered the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No. 122 in October 1970. That same year, Crofts married Billie Lee Day (1969), and Seals wed Ruby Jean Anderson (1970). By August 1971, they had signed with Warner Bros. Records. Their debut Warner album Year of Sunday reached No. 133 on U.S. charts.
Their commercial breakthrough arrived with Summer Breeze (1972), which climbed to No. 7 on the charts. The title track peaked at No. 4 on Adult Contemporary and No. 6 on Pop charts; its follow-up single "Hummingbird" reached No. 12 AC and No. 20 Pop respectively. This album earned double platinum certification from the RIAA for selling two million copies domestically.
In 1973, their album Diamond Girl achieved gold status after selling half a million units in the United States. The title song attained a peak position of No. 6, while "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" reached No. 21.
The following year’s release Unborn Child included a provocative anti-abortion title track shortly after the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Despite facing radio bans and inconsistent airplay, this album still secured gold certification without producing a Top 40 single.
In April 1974, Seals & Crofts performed at California Jam before an audience exceeding 200,000 people alongside prominent groups such as Black Sabbath and Eagles. Portions of this festival were broadcast on ABC television, broadening their audience.
Their 1975 album I'll Play for You, also certified gold, featured a title track that reached No. 18 on charts. That same year’s multi-platinum Greatest Hits compilation has sold over two million copies.
The single "Get Closer" from 1976 featured guest vocalist Carolyn Willis of Honey Cone and peaked at No. 6 on the charts. Willis joined them on tour that year which resulted in the live album Sudan Village. Additionally, they contributed songs to films like One on One (1977) and Foolin' Around (1980), as well as composing "First Years," which served as the theme for TV’s The Paper Chase during its 1978–79 run.
Their 1978 release Takin' It Easy incorporated contemporary elements including disco-inspired tracks such as "You're the Love," which reached No. 18; however, their peak commercial success had begun to wane despite earning gold status.
In 1979, they contributed to Lote Tree, a narrated history chronicling the Baháʼí Faith distributed within Baháʼí media channels.
Their final album under Warner Bros., The Longest Road, was released in 1980.
Hiatus and reunions
Following a prosperous period throughout the 1970s, Seals & Crofts opted not to extend their Warner Brothers contract in 1981, leading to a break in their collaboration.
A brief attempt to revive their partnership occurred in 1983 with new recording sessions under Lenny Waronker at Warner Bros., but this endeavor was ultimately discontinued.
Dash Crofts spent time living in Mexico, Australia, and Nashville, concentrating on country music along with occasional single releases; he currently resides on a ranch located in Texas Hill Country. Jim Seals moved to Costa Rica, where he intermittently lived on a coffee plantation since 1980, also dividing his time between Nashville and southern Florida.
Despite their pause from regular activity, the duo participated in Baháʼí community events during the 1980s, notably performing at a 1989 peace concert in Los Angeles that supported the Baháʼí Peace Document. That same year marked their official reunion for concerts in Canada, followed by a U.S. tour spanning 1991 to 1992 before they separated once more.
In 1998, Dash Crofts launched a solo album titled Today, which included reimagined versions of Seals & Crofts classics. The pair reunited again in 2004 to produce Traces, their first new studio album since 1980.
Between the early 2000s and 2008, Jim Seals toured alongside his brother Dan as Seals & Seals, delivering performances that featured hits from both Seals & Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley, as well as original compositions. Occasionally, Jim’s sons Joshua and Sutherland joined these live shows.
The musical duo influenced both Dan Seals and John Ford Coley to embrace the Baháʼí Faith, although Coley later converted to Christianity. Dan Seals passed away from cancer in 2009; prior to his death, he and Jim had been collaborating on new songs whose current status remains unclear.
In December 2010, the daughters of the band members—Juliet (Seals Crossley) and Amelia (Crofts Dailey)—along with Genevieve Dozier (daughter of audio engineer Joey Bogan), formed a trio named The Humming Birds. They released an EP in September 2012.
By 2018, Brady Seals (Jim’s cousin) and Lua Crofts (Dash’s daughter) began touring under the name Seals & Crofts 2, performing selections from the original repertoire alongside fresh material.
Jim Seals passed away at his home in Nashville on June 6, 2022, at the age of 79.
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | |||
| 1969 | Seals & Crofts | ― | 64 | |
| 1970 | Down Home | 122 | 74 | |
| 1971 | Year of Sunday | 133 | ― | |
| 1972 | Summer Breeze | 7 | 6 |
|
| 1973 | Diamond Girl | 4 | 8 |
|
| 1974 | Unborn Child | 14 | 18 |
|
| Seals & Crofts I & II | 81 | 69 | ||
| 1975 | I'll Play for You | 30 | 31 |
|
| Greatest Hits | 11 | 8 |
| |
| 1976 | Get Closer | 37 | 25 |
|
| Sudan Village | 73 | 90 | ||
| 1977 | One on One (soundtrack) | 118 | ― | |
| 1978 | Takin' It Easy | 78 | 45 | |
| 1979 | Lote Tree | ― | ― | |
| Collection | ― | ― | ||
| 1980 | The Longest Road | ― | ― | |
| 2004 | Traces | ― | ― | |
Singles
| Year | Track | Highest chart rankings |
Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 |
US A/C | AUS | CAN | |||
| 1971 | "When I Meet Them" | — | — | — | — | Year of Sunday |
| 1972 | "Summer Breeze" | 6 | 4 | 16 | 6 | Summer Breeze |
| 1973 | "Hummingbird" | 20 | 12 | — | 40 | |
| "Diamond Girl" | 6 | 4 | 57 | 13 | Diamond Girl | |
| "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" | 21 | 2 | 29 | 33 | ||
| 1974 | "Unborn Child" | 66 | — | — | — | Unborn Child |
| "King of Nothing" | 60 | 26 | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "I'll Play for You" | 18 | 4 | 55 | — | I'll Play for You |
| "Castles in the Sand" | — | 21 | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Baby I'll Give It to You" | 58 | 14 | — | — | Sudan Village |
| "Get Closer" (featuring Carolyn Willis) | 6 | 2 | 77 | 19 | Get Closer | |
| 1977 | "Goodbye Old Buddies" | — | 10 | — | — | |
| "My Fair Share" | 28 | 11 | — | — | One on One (soundtrack) | |
| 1978 | "You're the Love" | 18 | 2 | — | 8 | Takin' It Easy |
| "Takin' It Easy" | 79 | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "First Love" | — | 37 | — | — | Longest Road |
Songs featured in films
- "These Moments Never Live Again" included in the soundtrack of Foolin' Around (1980)
- "My Fair Share" appearing in the movie One on One (1977)
- "Summer Breeze" used in various films such as Dazed and Confused (1993), King of California (2007), Land of the Lost (2009), and Vacation (2015)
See also
- Brady Seals, Jim Seals' cousin and lead vocalist for country bands Little Texas and Hot Apple Pie
- "England" Dan Seals, brother of Jim Seals, recognized for his work in the soft rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley and later as a country musician
- Troy Seals, a cousin of Jim Seals and a figure in country music
Bibliography
- Bentivegna, Anthony (ed.) sealsandcrofts.com, Novato, California, spanning years 2000–2013.
- George-Warren, H. (ed.) The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, third edition, Fireside, New York, published in 2001.
- Landau, Deborah. "Introducing Seals and Crofts", featured in Stereo Review, January issue of 1971.
External links
- American Bahá'ís
- American pop rock bands
- American soft rock bands
- Folk rock ensembles from California
- Carlton Records artists
- Challenge Records artists
- Warner Records artists
- 20th-century Bahá'ís
- 21st-century Bahá'ís
- American musical duos
- Soft rock duos
- American rock duos
- American male musical duos
- Musical groups formed in 1969
- Musical groups disbanded in 1980
- Musical groups based in Los Angeles
- Musical groups from Texas
- 1969 establishments in California
- 1980 disestablishments in California
- Musical groups disestablished in 1980