Dan Seals
Seals in 1976
Background information
Birth name	Danny Wayland Seals
Also known as	England Dan
Born	(1948-02-08)February 8, 1948 McCamey, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 25, 2009(2009-03-25) (aged 61) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country soft rock
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1970–2009
Labels	Atlantic Liberty Capitol Warner Bros. Intersound TDC Lightyear
Formerly of	England Dan & John Ford Coley

Danny Wayland Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009), also known asEngland Dan, was an American musician. The younger brother ofSeals and Crofts memberJim Seals, he first gained fame as one half of thesoft rock duoEngland Dan & John Ford Coley, who charted nine singles between 1976 and 1980, including the No. 2Billboard Hot 100 hit "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight".

After the duo disbanded, Seals began a solo career, starting in soft rock before shifting tocountry music. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he released 16studio albums and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Eleven of his singles reached number one: "Meet Me in Montana" (withMarie Osmond), "Bop" (also a No. 42 pop hit), "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)", "You Still Move Me", "I Will Be There", "Three Time Loser", "One Friend", "Addicted", "Big Wheels in the Moonlight", "Love on Arrival", and "Good Times". Five more of his singles also reached top ten on the same chart.

Danny Wayland Seals was born in McCamey, Texas. Dan's childhood nickname of "England Dan" was given to him by his older brother Jim Seals (later ofSeals and Crofts). It was also Jim's idea to incorporate the name "England Dan" into England Dan & John Ford Coley. The nickname was a reference to the fact that, as a youngster, Dan had fixated onthe Beatles and briefly affected anEnglish accent.^[1][2]

Dan joined with fellowW. W. Samuell High School classmate and longtime friendJohn Ford Coley to perform first as part of Dallas pop/psych groupSouthwest F.O.B. ('Free On Board'), whose material has been re-released on CD by theSundazed label, and then as the duoEngland Dan & John Ford Coley. In 1970 the latter were signed by A&M records, but a lack of US hits led to their being dropped two years later. Seals later recalled^[3]that this led to a period of severe financial challenge which ended only when the duo signed toBig Tree Records and had a run of six US Top 40 hits from the mid-1970s, beginning with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", the pair's biggest hit, reaching No. 2 in 1976 and becoming their only gold single. Their other hits include "Nights Are Forever Without You" (No. 10 in 1976–77); "It's Sad to Belong" (No. 21) and "Gone Too Far" (No. 23), both in 1977; "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" (No. 9 in 1978); and their last Top 40 hit, "Love Is the Answer" (No. 10 in May 1979). After sevenLPs, they disbanded in 1980 and Seals reinvented himself as a solo country-pop artist, signing withAtlantic Records in 1980.

When Seals signed toCapitol Records in 1983 he shifted toNashville and began to record as Dan Seals. He initially struggled, but his voice and sentimental manner suited Nashville at a time when country music began to soften its rural styling. Seals's solo career began to turn around with the single "God Must Be a Cowboy,” the fourth and final single of his 1983 albumRebel Heart. The song peaked at No 10 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, becoming the first in a string of 16 consecutive top ten and number one singles that stretched to 1990. A 1985 duet withMarie Osmond, "Meet Me in Montana,” reached No 1 and Seals followed this with a run of eight chart-toppers. More hits followed, including his 11th country No 1 with a cover ofSam Cooke's "Good Times" in 1990. Just as thepop rock market had changed radically in the 1980s, so did country music in the 1990s with the arrival ofGarth Brooks's turbo-charged anthems. Seals devoted more time to his family and his religion, theBaháʼí Faith, though he continued to record and tour; he performed at theBaháʼí World Congress in 1992.^[4]

He kept the name England Dan for his debut album,Stones. Although no single charted on the country chart, his first single ever as a solo artist "Late at Night" did peak at No. 57 on the US Hot 100. Otherwise, it was unsuccessful. His next album,Harbinger, was unsuccessful commercially. None of its singles charted, and he turned his attention tocountry music and adapted his style to fit country radio's demands while still keeping his signature soft sound. He signed toCapitol Records in 1983.

1983'sRebel Heart, his first album for Capitol, was much more successful than his first two albums. The first single, "Everybody's Dream Girl," peaked at No. 18. The next single "After You," however, charted lower, at No. 28. "You Really Go for the Heart" was even less successful, but still managed to crack the top 40, reaching No. 37. The album's last single, "God Must Be a Cowboy," was much more successful than the album's first three singles, becoming his first top 10 hit in early 1984, at No. 10. The album peaked at No. 40 on the country albums chart, his first album to enterTop Country Albums.

His 1984 albumSan Antone was even more successful. "(You Bring Out) The Wild Side of Me," the album's first single, reached No. 9. The next single "My Baby's Got Good Timing" became his first Top 5, at No. 2. In early 1985, the album's third and final single "My Old Yellow Car" peaked at No. 9. This album peaked at No. 24 on the country albums chart.

His 1985 albumWon't Be Blue Anymore became his most successful studio album, reaching No. 1 on the country albums chart and earningRIAA gold certification. "Meet Me in Montana," a duet withMarie Osmond, became his first No. 1 hit in 1985 and the first of nine straight Number Ones.^[5] Written byPaul Davis,^[6] the single won the artists the Vocal Duo of the Year Award at theCMA awards in 1986. The album's next single, "Bop," also co-written by Paul Davis, withJennifer Kimball, became his first solo No. 1 and was named Single of the Year at 1986's CMA awards.^[5] After it came "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)," about arodeo cowboy having to cope withsingle parenthood (written by Seals and fellow TexanBob McDill).^[7]

On the Front Line reached No. 12 on the country albums chart. The three singles from it all reached No. 1 in 1987:^[5] "You Still Move Me,” "I Will Be There," and "Three Time Loser.”

Dan Seals released his first compilation albumThe Best in 1987. All of the songs included on the album were top ten hits. The lone new track "One Friend," which was originally included on 1984'sSan Antone, was re-recorded for this collection and continued his No. 1 streak. The album peaked at No. 7 and was certified platinum.

1988 saw the release of Dan Seals'Rage On album. The first single, "Addicted," not only became a No. 1 country hit but also got its writer,Cheryl Wheeler, a contract with Capitol Records in 1989.^[8] The next single, the truck driving song "Big Wheels in the Moonlight," was released in late 1988, and reached No. 1 in early 1989, becoming his ninth No. 1 single in a row. This streak was broken when the album's third and final single, "They Rage On," peaked at No. 5. The album peaked at No. 6, and is the second highest peaking of his albums.

Dan Seals began the 1990s with his eighth album,On Arrival. The first single "Love on Arrival" reached No. 1 in 1990, and stayed there for three weeks. After it came a cover of theSam Cooke standard "Good Times." This cover was not only his last Number One, but also his last Top 40 hit, as the album's next two tracks ("Bordertown" and "Water Under the Bridge") failed to reach the top 40 in the United States, although they did in Canada.

Dan Seals' second compilation album, titledGreatest Hits was released in 1991. It contained his hits from the albumsWon't Be Blue Anymore,Rage On, andOn Arrival, along with a new track, "Ball and Chain," which was not released as a single.

By this time, the country music landscape had changed abruptly, and Dan Seals found his style out of favor. He moved toWarner Bros. Records in 1991, and releasedWalking the Wire. Only three of the five singles released from this album ("Sweet Little Shoe," "Mason Dixon Line," and "When Love Comes Around the Bend") actually charted, but none of them reached the top 40. One other single, "We Are One," failed to chart. Additionally, the album failed to crack the top country albums chart.

Although Dan Seals was a touring artist for the rest of the 1990s, he did release a few more albums on smaller labels throughout the decade, such asFired Up in 1994, his final album for Warner Bros. He signed to Intersound and releasedIn a Quiet Room in 1995, comprising acoustic versions of his earlier hits. He then switched to TDC and releasedIn a Quiet Room II in 1998, followed byMake It Home in 2002.^[9]

In the early 2000s, Dan Seals embarked on various tours with his brother Jim (of Seals and Crofts), billing themselves as Seals & Seals, and performing their successful hits from Seals and Crofts and England Dan and John Ford Coley, Dan's hits from his solo career, and a few original songs written between the two brothers. A few shows featured Jim's sons Joshua on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Sutherland on electric guitar. The status of the original recordings is unknown.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for cancer (mantle cell lymphoma) atVanderbilt University Medical Center inNashville and atM.D. Anderson Cancer Center inHouston, and received a stem cell transplant at theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) inMaryland. He died at the age of 61, on March 25, 2009, at his daughter's home in Nashville.^[10][11][12]

Prior to Seals's death, he recorded two duets withJuice Newton, for her 2010 releaseDuets: Friends & Memories, coveringHeart's 1986 hit "These Dreams."

Four years after Seals's death,Kenny Rogers recorded Seals's composition "It's Gonna Be Easy Now." The track is featured as the closing number on Rogers's albumYou Can't Make Old Friends.

• Stones (1980)
• Harbinger (1982)
• Rebel Heart (1983)
• San Antone (1984)
• Won't Be Blue Anymore (1985)
• On the Front Line (1986)
• Rage On (1988)
• On Arrival (1990)
• Walking the Wire (1992)
• Fired Up (1994)
• In a Quiet Room (1995)
• In a Quiet Room II (1998)
• Make It Home (2002)

• The Best (1987)
• Portrait (1990)
• Early Dan Seals (1991)
• Greatest Hits (1991)
• The Best of Dan Seals (1994)
• Certified Hits (2001)
• The Best of Dan Seals (2005)

• "Meet Me in Montana"withMarie Osmond (1 week, 1985)
• "Bop" (1 week, 1986)
• "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)" (1 week, 1986)
• "You Still Move Me" (1 week, 1987)
• "I Will Be There" (1 week, 1987)
• "Three Time Loser" (1 week, 1987)
• "One Friend" (1 week, 1988)
• "Addicted" (1 week, 1988)
• "Big Wheels in the Moonlight" (1 week, 1989)
• "Love on Arrival" (3 weeks, 1990)
• "Good Times" (2 weeks, 1990)

• Lomax III, John (1998). "Dan Seals". InThe Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 474–5.ISBN 978-0195176087

• Dan Seals atAllMusic
• Obituary in theKnoxville News Sentinel
• Dan Seals atFind a Grave

• 1948 births
• 2009 deaths
• American Bahá'ís
• American country singer-songwriters
• American male singer-songwriters
• American soft rock musicians
• Capitol Records artists
• Deaths from lymphoma in the United States
• Singer-songwriters from Texas
• England Dan & John Ford Coley members
• 20th-century Bahá'ís
• 21st-century Bahá'ís
• Deaths from cancer in Tennessee
• American country guitarists
• American male guitarists
• 20th-century American singer-songwriters
• 20th-century American guitarists
• Guitarists from Texas
• People from McCamey, Texas
• Country musicians from Texas
• 20th-century American male singers

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