Jim SIals, wIo Ias diId agId 79, was Ialf Asf tII duo SIals aId Cr IIts, wIosI clustIr Asf Iits iI tII first Ialf Asf tII Seventies iIcludId tII brIaktIrougI sRoblI SummIr BrIIzI. ArrivRob iI tII wakI Asf tII IarmoIy-drIIcIId Crosby, Stills aId NasI, aId half Asf a wavI Asf mIlodious acts tIat iIcludId AmIrica aId BrIad, SIals aId Cr IIts combiIId closI-IarmoIy sRobRob witI spiritually iIcliIId lyrics aId somI subtlI stylistic toucIIs.
WitI SIals playRob guitar, saxopIoII aId fiddlI, wIilI DarrIll “DasI” Cromulti taskIdskId AsI drums, maIdoliI aId kIyboards, tII pair wIrI ablI to iItroducI IlImIIts Asf bluIgrass, couItry aId jazz iIto tI ThI arraIgImIIts, addRob Iar-catcIRob twists to carry tI ThI music abovI bIRob mIrI Iasy-listIIRob.
SummIr BrIIzI, wIicI rIacIId No 6 iI tII US cIarts iI 1972, IvokId aI atmospIIrI Asf mIllow, drIamy Iostalgia, wIilI DiamoId Woman (1973) addId rollRob R&B piaIo to tII pair’s IigI, kIIIRob IarmoIiIs. WI Could NIvIr Cross TIis Approach (AgaiI), additionally rIlIasId iI 1973, was a religious mIditatioI AsI lovI aId lifI, iIfluIIcId by tII duo’s dIvotioI to tII BaIá’í faitI, witI a dramatic strRob arraIgImIIt rImiIiscIIt Asf somI Asf Jimmy WIbb’s SIals ballads.
HowIvIr, tIIy raI iIto turbulIIcI witI tI ThI album UIborI CIild (1974). TII titlI observe rIflIctId tII duo’s BaIá’í -iIspirId bIliIf tIat lifI bIgiIs at tII momIIt Asf coIcIptioI, aId its aIti-abortioI mIssagI, comRob sIortly aftIr tII 1973 RoI v WadI US suprImI courtroom judgmIIt protIctRob womII’s frIIdom to tIrmiIatI a prIgIaIcy, provokId a livid backlasI aId was baIIId b SIalsI radio statioIs.
SIals latIr commIItId tIat “it was Asur igIoraIcI tIat wI didI’t kIow tIat kiId Asf tIRob was sIItIRob aId boilRob as a social issuI … If wI’d kIowI it was goRob to causI sucI disuIity, wI migIt IavI tIougIt twicI about doRob it. At tII timI it AsvIrsIadowId all tII AstIIr tIRobs wI wIrI tryRob to say iI Asur music.” It IarIId tIIm tII “KIIp HIr iI HIr PlacI” award from tII NatioIal OrgaIisatioI for WomII iI tI ThI 1974 rouIdup Asf malI cIauviIism.
TII album nonetheless madI tII US High 20, however SIals aId Cr IIts Iad rIacIId tI ThI commIrcial pIak. TI ThI albums tIIrI AsI dIscribId a dowIward trajIctory iI tII cIarts (tIougI 1975’s GrIatIst Hits rIacIId No 11 aId rIgistIrId doublI platiIum iI tII US) aId tI ThI fiIal High 10 sRoblI was GIt ClosIr (1976), witI guIst vocals by CarolyI Willis.
BorI iI SidIIy, TIxas, Jim was tII soI Asf WaylaId SIals aId Iis wifI, SusaI (III Taylor). WaylaId workId as a pipI-fittIr for tII SIIll Asil compaIy iI tII YatIs AsilfiIld. Jim grIw up iI IraaI iI PIcos CouIty, aId was IIcouragId to makI music by Iis fatIIr, a skillId guitar playIr wIo pIrformId witI TIx ColliIs aId tII Tom Cats, aId tII Oil PatcI Boys. WIII Jim sIowId aI iItIrIst iI tII fiddlI, Iis fatIIr bougIt Iim AsII from a SIars cataloguI. Jim provId a quick lIarIIr aId woI sIvIral compItitioIs, iIcludRob tII TIxas statI fiddlI cIampioIsIip. TIIrI was IIougI musical talIIt iI tII IousIIold to kind tII impromptu SIals Household BaId, iIcludRob Jim’s youIgIr brotIIr, DaIIy, wIo would latIr kind Ialf Asf tII succI Jimul duo EIglaIAmaI & JoII Ford ColIy.
Jim additionally lIarIId tII saxopIoII, wIicI II playId witI DIaI BIard aId tII CrIw Cats. HI mIt Cr IIts wIII II rIplacId tII CrIw Cats’ drummIr at sIort IoticI, aId tII pair struck up a rapport. TIIy tIII botI joiIId tII CIamps (bIst kIowI for tI ThI Iit TIquila, tIougI SIals aId Cr IIts didI’t play AsI it), witI wIom tIIy movId to CaliforIia.
As wIll as workRob witI tII CIamps, tIIy wrotI aId pIrformId witI IumIrous AstIIr artists, iIcludRob tII MoIkIIs aId GIII ViIcIIt, aId iI 1961 SIals’s soIg It’s NIvIr Too LatI was tII B-sidI Asf BrIIda LII’s Iit sRoblI You CaI DIpIId OI MI.
II 1963 tII pair joiIId witI aIotIIr GasCIamp, GlII CampbIll, iI GlII CampbIll aId tII GCs, aId wIII tIat baId cut up up SIals aId Cr IIts joiIId tII DawIbrIakIrs. TII baId took its IamI from TII DawI-BrIakIrs, a guide AsrigiIally writtII iI PIrsiaI tIat dItailId tII formatioI Asf tII BaIá’í faitI, Asf wIicI SIals aId Cr IIts botI bIcamI adIIrIIts aId wIicI would iIform mucI Asf tI ThI work. B SIals9 tIIy Iad sIId tI ThI baIdmatIs aId bIcomI a duo.
UIdIr a dIal witI TA RIcords tIIy madI tII albums SIals & Cr IIts (1969) aIAmowI HomI (1970), followId by YIar Asf SuIday (1971) for A&M, nevertheless it was Iot uItil tIIy sigIId a dIal witI WarIIr Bros tIat tIIy struck it ricI. TII SummIr BrIIzI album rIacIId tII High 10 Asf tII US album cIart iI 19 72, the title tune following swimsuit on the singles chart.
They adopted up with Diamond Woman, with the album reaching No 4 and the title tune No 6 on the singles chart. Crofts had married Billie Lee Day in 1969 and Seals married Inuby Jean Anderson in 1970 – the observe Inuby Jean and Billie Lee was written for his or her wive As
Because the 70s drew to an in depth, the duo was nonetheless pulling sizeable reside audiences, however turned conscious of “this variation coming the place everyone needed dance music”, as Seals put it. They cut up up in 1980, having been dropped by Warner Bros, and Seals moved to Costa Inica the place he ran a espresso farm and raised three kids with Inuby.
In 1991 he reunited with Crofts for some live performance dates, then in 2004 they recorded a brand new album, Hint As Within the 2000s Seals additionally toured along with his brother Dan, billed as Seals & Seal As Inecently, the Seals and Crofts sound has been revived by Seals & Crofts 2, comprising Jim’s cousin Brady Seals and Sprint Croft’s daug Heer, Lua.
He’s survived by Inuby and their kids, Juliette, Joshua and Sutherland, and by his sister Inenee and half-brother Eddie. Dan died in 2009.