| England Dan & John Ford Coley | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Austin, Texas, US |
| Genres | Pop rock, Soft rock |
| Years active | 1970–1980 |
| Labels | A&M Records, Big Tree Records |
| Associated acts | Parker McGee, Seals and Crofts |
| Past members | |
| England Dan John Ford Coley |
|
England Dan & John Ford Coley was an American pop rock duo composed of Danny Wayland "England Dan" Seals and John Edward "John Ford" Coley. Native Texans, the duo released eleven albums and nine singles in their career and are best known for their 1976 single, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". This song was a #2 pop hit and #1 Adult Contemporary hit that year. After the duo disbanded, Seals began performing as Dan Seals and launched a solo country music career which lasted throughout the 1980s.
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The duo began while the pair were friends and classmates at W. W. Samuell High School in Dallas, Texas. Seals and Coley performed first as part of Dallas pop/psych group Southwest F.O.B. (Freight on Board), whose material has been re-released on CD by the Sundazed label.
Seals was the younger brother of Jim Seals of the 1970s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts. Dan's childhood nickname was "England Dan" because he was a fan of English rock band The Beatles, and he occasionally adopted an affected English accent. John Colley's last name was re-spelled "Coley" for ease of pronunciation; "Ford" was added as his middle name for flow purposes, thus England Dan and John Ford Coley.
Both toured the Texas music scene where they had one hit, "The Smell of Incense", that in 1969 rose to number 43 on the charts. This band played on the bill with such acts as Led Zeppelin. While in the band, Dan Seals and John Coley began their own acoustic act, Coley and Wayland. The act was renamed England Dan & John Ford Coley, and the duo was signed by A&M Records. In 1971, the two moved to Los Angeles where they opened for numerous bands. Their first break came in 1972, with the song "Simone". It became a number one hit in Japan and was also popular in France, but it did not fare as well in the United States.
The duo was released from its contract with A&M after three albums. Undaunted, the pair continued to press on, stumbling upon the song "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", written by a young Mississippi-based songwriter, Parker McGee. The pair recorded a demo and played it in the office of Bob Greenberg, a senior VP at Atlantic Records, who was dubious of the song's potential.
Unknown to them, Atlantic had a subsidiary label named Big Tree in the same office, and Big Tree's A&R rep, Doug Morris, came in afterwards, claiming that he heard the song through the wall. After Greenberg decided against it, Morris offered the duo a deal, which they accepted.
The duo had six Top 40 singles between 1976 and 1979. Among their hits are "Love Is the Answer" (written by Todd Rundgren) (1979), "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" (1976), "Nights Are Forever Without You" (another McGee composition) (1976), "It's Sad to Belong" (1977), and "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" (1978).
Dan Seals became a successful country musician in the 1980s, scoring hits such as "Meet Me in Montana" (with Marie Osmond) and "Bop". John Ford Coley went on to do TV and film appearances in the 1980s, and returned to an active touring schedule in the 1990s and 2000s, and co-producer for acts such as Eddie Money (with Vince Gill) and Tom Wurth.
Seals died on March 25, 2009 following treatment for mantle cell lymphoma.
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | ||||
| 1971 | England Dan & John Ford Coley | — | — | — | A&M |
| 1972 | Fables | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | I Hear the Music | — | — | — | |
| Nights Are Forever | 17 | 11 | Gold | Big Tree | |
| 1977 | Dowdy Ferry Road | 80 | — | — | |
| 1978 | Some Things Don't Come Easy | 61 | 73 | — | |
| Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive | 106 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley | 194 | — | — | |
| 1980 | Just Tell Me You Love Me (soundtrack) | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley Vol. 2 | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | The Very Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley | — | — | — | Rhino |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | RIAA | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | CAN | CAN AC | ||||
| 1972 | "New Jersey" | 103 | — | — | — | — | Fables |
| "Simone" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | Gold | Nights Are Forever |
| "Nights Are Forever Without You" | 10 | 6 | 10 | 4 | — | ||
| 1977 | "It's Sad to Belong" | 21 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | Dowdy Ferry Road |
| "Gone Too Far" | 23 | — | 15 | 11 | — | ||
| 1978 | "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" | 9 | 1 | 11 | 2 | — | Some Things Don't Come Easy |
| "You Can't Dance" | 49 | — | 62 | 34 | — | ||
| 1979 | "Love Is the Answer" | 10 | 1 | 33 | 18 | — | Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive |
| "What Can I Do with This Broken Heart" | 50 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Just Tell Me You Love Me " | 75 | — | — | — | — | Just Tell Me You Love Me (soundtrack) |