(LEFT to RIGHT) Richard Campbell, Ryland Steen, Dewey Bunnell (front), Andy Barr, Steve Fekete
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- The iconic multi-platinum-selling group AMERICA are celebrating their 54th anniversary with a series of national tour dates in 2024. Billed as the "Ride On Tour 2024," the tour comes to the Scottish Rite Auditorium November 15-16, 2024 with shows at 8:00pm each night. Known for their timeless magic and powerful performances, the Grammy Award-winning perennial classic-rock favorite will draw on their deep catalog of hits including signature song "A Horse With No Name," a Number One smash on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1972.
Meanwhile, AMERICA will release a new live album, America – Live From The Hollywood Bowl 1975 (Primary Wave Music; distributed by Sun Records), on September 6. Previously available as a Record Store Day exclusive, this album features never-before-heard recordings of their iconic 1975 performance backed by a symphony conducted by the legendary George Martin and will now be widely released on CD, a new red vinyl variant, and digitally for the first time ever. This extraordinary performance has been preserved in never-before-heard tapes that were recently restored and remastered for this special release.
On their way to becoming a global household name, AMERICA's journey found them exploring a wide variety of musical terrain. Their best-known tunes, which also include "I Need You," "Ventura Highway," "Don't Cross The River," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair," were cornerstones of 1970's Top 40 and FM rock radio. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners would discover there was always much more to AMERICA than surface perceptions. The combination of melodic pop rock and folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with other more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.
AMERICA's albums--six certified gold and/or platinum, with their first greatest hits collection, History, hitting four plus million in sales--displayed a fuller range of the trio's talents than did their singles. Their material encompassed an ambitious artistic swath; from effects-laden rockers to oddball medleys to soul-bearing ballads, AMERICA displayed a flawless blend of disparate genres and styles as wide-open as the great American plains.
Enjoying massive success early in their career, AMERICA earned their stripes as musical soldiers on the battlefield amidst the excess, craziness, and chaos of the 70's. The trio won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1972 and began working with George Martin and Geoff Emerick in 1974. This successful team went on to record seven albums and several Top Ten hits, including "Tin Man," "Sister Golden Hair" and "Lonely People."
Their growth as singers, songwriters and musicians has continued into the present day as illustrated by landmark releases such as 2000's Highway 3-disc box set, 2002's Holiday Harmony, an album comprised of seasonal classics and live showcases, 2007's Here & Now, 2009's Live In Concert: Wildwood Springs, 2011's Back Pages, and 2015's Lost And Found and America: Archives Vol. 1.
In 2020, the band released their ultimate 8-disc anniversary box set, Half Century (America Records), and streamed their concert special America--Live at the London Palladium for the very first time (it is commercially available as a DVD and CD). 2020 also saw the release of the book “America, the Band, An Authorized Biography” by journalist Jude Warne.She weaves original interviews with the band and many others into a dynamic cultural history of AMERICA, the band, and America, the nation. Billy Bob Thornton wrote the foreword.
Tickets for the shows are available for purchase online. The Scottish Rite Auditorium is located at 315 White Horse Pike in Collingswood, New Jersey.
As further testament to the band’s staying power and influence, AMERICA’s recordings have been licensed for a multitude of placements in films (including American Hustle, The Nice Guys, The Last Unicorn and Girl Most Likely), television shows (among them The Sopranos, Friends, Breaking Bad and Saturday Night Live) and video games (including Grand Theft Auto). You can see their Soundtrack credits on IMDB.
From their formative years, AMERICA has been a band capable of transcending borders with its uplifting music and positive message. Embracing a rainbow of divergent cultures, America's audiences continue to grow, comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third generation fans, all bearing testament to the group's enduring appeal.
The Scottish Rite is one of the largest auditoriums in South Jersey. Voted one of the “150 Best Buildings and Places” by the American Institute of Architects in the 2011 AIA New Jersey Guidebook, the property rests on eight acres of land and comprises two separate buildings. The largest building is a five-story structure that houses the Collingswood Grand Ballroom and the 1,050 seat Scottish Rite Auditorium. The Scottish Rite Auditorium presents over twenty concerts per year by notable performers and bands like Gordon Lightfoot, and Kansas. The late David Crosby called the stage “the coolest place I ever played!”
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