Bellamy Brothers | |
|---|---|
 The Bellamy Brothers in 2013: Howard (left) and David (right) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Darby,Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Curb/Warner Bros. Curb/Elektra Curb/MCA Atlantic Jupiter Bellamy Bros./Intersound Blue Hat |
| Members | David Bellamy Howard Bellamy |
| Website | bellamybrothers.com |
The Bellamy Brothers are an Americanpop andcountry music duo from Darby,Florida. The duo consists of brothersDavid Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) andHomer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946).[1][2] The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit "Let Your Love Flow" in 1976, a number-one single on theBillboard Hot 100.[1]
Starting in the late 1970s, the Bellamy Brothers found success in country music, as well, charting 20 number-one singles, 25 top 10s, and more than 50 hits overall on thecountry charts. To date, they have released more than 50 albums, primarily onCurb Records. They have also enjoyed success in continental Europe, with a compilation album topping theNorwegian charts in 2011 and over two dozen hit songs that were released outside the US market. In 2013, their albumBellamy Brothers and Friends: Across the Sea landed at number five on theSwiss music chart and took the top spot in album sales for weeks in Switzerland.[3] It was their third major release in Europe in three years.[4] Their albumMermaid Cowgirl, recorded in Switzerland and released in 2014, won them gold record status in Switzerland.[5] They also recorded four albums in Germany withRalph Siegel for release to the European market.[6][7][8]
David and Howard Bellamy were inspired by many musical sources from an early age. Their father playedcountry music around the house, and was also a member of a localWestern swing band; in addition, they were inspired by therock and roll music their sister played. Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to playguitar,mandolin, andbanjo. In addition, David learnedaccordion,fiddle,organ, andpiano.[1]
Their first musical gig was in 1968 at a benefit concert with their father inSan Antonio, Florida, at the Rattlesnake Roundup.[9][10]
In the late '60s, the brothers and their band played for dances at the Dade City Civic Center and at Louie's in Brooksville. They played as The Accidents, and later as The Heterogeneous Grouping, performing covers of many of the popular rock and roll andRhythm and blues tunes of the time. Three of their favorites were "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "My Girl", and "Little Bit O' Soul".
Their first paid gigs were playing fraternity parties at theUniversity of Florida.[11] Soon after, the brothers moved toAtlanta and formed a band called Jericho.[1] However, playing in bands and clubs proved tiresome for the brothers, who soon moved back home.[1] The brothers were soon noticed by a friend of recording artistJim Stafford, who eventually recorded "Spiders & Snakes", written by Stafford and David. "Spiders & Snakes" went on to become a top five hit, providing the Bellamys with the money to move toLos Angeles.[1][9] Howard became aroad manager for Stafford.[9]
The duo signed toCurb Records in 1975. A single featuring only David, "Nothin' Heavy", was unsuccessful. However, at the suggestion ofNeil Diamond's drummer, Dennis St. John, the brothers recorded and released the single "Let Your Love Flow", written by Diamond's roadie Larry Williams. Released in 1976, "Let Your Love Flow" was a number-one single on the U.S.pop charts, as well as more than a dozen countries worldwide.[12]
Although "Let Your Love Flow" was also a hit on theHot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the Bellamys' country music success was limited until 1979, when "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was released. The song, with itsdouble entendre title derived from aGroucho Marx quote,[13] landed the Bellamys their first country music No. 1 in the United States. It was first played on radio in the United Kingdom inNorthern Ireland in 1979 and went on to become Record of the Year in the UK in 1979.[14] In a 2003 issue ofCountry Weekly magazine, the title was named the number 1 countrypick-up line of all time.[15]
After the success of "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me", the brothers continued with a run of country hits, including tunes such as "Redneck Girl", "Santa Fe", and the social commentary pieces "Old Hippie" and "Kids of the Baby Boom".[1]Billboard named the Bellamy Brothers as Top Country Duo,[1] and they eventually went on to set the record for most duo nominations from both theAcademy of Country Music andCountry Music Association.[16]
The brothers worked on a number of collaborative efforts with other musicians during this period. They recorded "Too Much Is Not Enough" withThe Forester Sisters in 1986[17] and "Drive South" with them in 1990.[18] In 1993, they recorded "Stayin' in Love" withFreddy Fender andFlaco Jiménez.[19] In 1997, they recorded "Catahoula" withEddy Raven andJo-El Sonnier,[20] while in 1997, they recorded "Everyone's Somebody's Darlin'" withNicolette Larson. In 1999, they recorded "(Don't Put Me In) The Ex Files" withBuck Owens,[21] and that same year, they recorded "Vertical Expression" with Freddy Fender and then withEduardo Araujo.[22]
In 1991, the Bellamys switched toAtlantic Records. Their tenure there produced one album before the duo formed their own label, Bellamy Brothers Records. They were some of the first country music artists to have their own record label, and have been licensing albums from their own record label for 25 years.[23][24] In 1999, they switched to Blue Hat Records for theirLonely Planet album.
In 2005, the Bellamys returned to Curb Records to recordAngels & Outlaws, Volume 1, a compilation album featuring re-recordings of the duo's older hits with additional artists, includingDolly Parton,George Jones,Alan Jackson,Tanya Tucker, andMontgomery Gentry.[25] A re-recorded version of "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me", featuring Dolly Parton, spent one week at number 60 on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart in 2005. In March 2007, "Redneck Girl" was covered byBlake Shelton on the soundtrack toThe Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning.
The Bellamys released an album ofgospel music, titledJesus Is Coming, on May 8, 2007.[26] Its title track was previously recorded onNative American in 1995. The album received twoDove Award nominations, and a second gospel album,Pray for Me, was released in 2012.[27] They had many guest singers on this album. Their sister Ginger sang with them on the song "Suppertime", and Deborah Allen sang background vocals with Vicky Hampton on the album. Irish actor and musician Kieran McHugh played penny whistle for the song "Hymn to Him".[28]
In 2008, the song "Let Your Love Flow" was used in theBarclaycard advertisement for their new contactless cards. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at number 48 based on downloads, peaked at number 21 in the pop charts in March 2009,[29] and was listed on BMI's list of Top 100 Song of the Century at number 68 that same year.[30] A cover by Petra Haden was used in a 2010Toyota Prius commercial.
The Anthology, Vol. 1, released in 2009, includes the single "Guilty of the Crime", which is a collaboration with theBacon Brothers. The video featuresShannen Doherty ofBeverly Hills, 90210 fame.[31] Both sets of brothers performed the song together on theGrand Ole Opry show in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 1, 2009.
In 2010, the Bellamys recordedThe Greatest Hits Sessions with Swiss rock starGölä (Marco Pfeuti) and the project sold double platinum in Europe.[32] It was at number one of the Swiss Schweizer Hitparade for seven weeks. In 2011, they createdBB&G Platinum with Gölä. Then, in 2014, they teamed up again with Gölä and recordedMermaid Cowgirl in Switzerland. They achieved gold-record status in Switzerland with this album.[5]
In June 2010, their song "Jalepeños", about the problems of political correctness, was banned before it could even be released to radio because of its profanity.[33] The video became a majorYouTube hit with almost 3 million views.[34]
In 2012, the Bellamy Brothers collaborated with AustrianSchlager singerDJ Ötzi to create the albumSimply the Best. It was DJ Ötzi's first full English-language album, and entered theGerman album charts at number three.[35]
In June 2014,Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Old Hippie" at number 95 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.[36]
During these years, the brothers also worked on many other collaborative song efforts. They recorded "Hello, Lady Harley" withTruck Stop in 2003,[37] worked with Alan Jackson in 2005,[38] and collaborated with Tom Astor in 2007.[39]
In April 2018, the group released the memoirLet Your Love Flow - The Life and Times of the Bellamy Brothers.[40][41] The Bellamys then released their albumOver the Moon in 2019, which consisted of 14 original songs written and recorded at the Bellamys' studio on their Darby ranch.[42]
In 2018, the brothers became the feature of the reality television seriesHonky Tonk Ranch, which aired on theCowboy Channel,RFD-TV, and now on the Circle Network. The series follows the Bellamys in addition to their friends and family. A second season ofHonky Tonk Ranch aired in 2019.[42] In 2020, the show moved to theCircle Network, where seasons one and two aired along with season three.[43]
In the late 1990s, David's sons Noah and Jesse became active in the music scene, and the sons currently perform as the duoJesse and Noah.
The Bellamy Brothers live in Darby, Florida, on a 200-acre ranch, where they raiseBrahman cattle andquarter horses, with three generations of their family living in the compound.[44] The ranch is also the location of the recording studio where much of their work is recorded.
In 2020, the brothers partnered with Floridamedical cannabis companyTrulieve to produce a signature line ofcannabis products named "Old Hippie Stash".[45] Said David:"[Cannabis has] helped Howard and me on many levels. There was a stigma for so long, but now people are talking about it seriously and considering cannabis as an alternative for stress, anxiety, pain management, and many other health factors."[46]
The brothers have 200 or more concert dates worldwide each year.[44] They have had concerts in the United States, Europe,Australia, andSouth Africa, and have been to distant (from their US base) places such asDubai,Saudi Arabia,India,Sri Lanka,New Caledonia,Qatar, theFaroe Islands, and theCzech Republic.[53][54] In 1999, the Bellamy Brothers played for American troops stationed inBosnia, and onEaster Sunday 2000, they gave a concert for American troops in war-tornKosovo, as well as a concert at a remote camp in Macedonia. In 2014, they toured in India and Sri Lanka, and made history as the first country music act touring in those Asian countries.[55] In 2019 and 2020, the Bellamy Brothers participated inBlake Shelton's "Friends and Heroes Tour".[42]
The brothers have traveled around the world playing benefit concerts forAmerican troops abroad, including performances throughoutGermany,Italy,Japan,Guam,South Korea,Bosnia, andKosovo. Their concert atCamp Bondsteel in Kosovo in 2000 was the first time that the base had allowed a band to play.[56] In 2011, the brothers supportedearthquake victims inNew Zealand when they joined theNew Zealand Red Cross and Judy Seale International to raise support through live auctions.[57] In 2016, the Bellamy Brothers partnered with theSusan G. Komen Foundation to release a video for "Let Your Love Flow." They supported the foundation's breast cancer research by donating one dollar for every digital download of their 40 Year package.[58]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
