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Howard and David continue to prove that the trail they’ve ridden to
fame has been as unique as their
music itself—music that is now celebrating 30 years of success.
The road that
started on the pop music charts in the ‘70’s, took a winding turn into
country music in the
‘80’s, paving
the way for duos to come, such as Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry,
Big & Rich, and
previously—The Judds. But before the road forked into country, the
musical odyssey of brothers
Bellamy
started creatively smoldering in their home state of Florida, before
exploding nationally amidst
the ’70’s pop
music culture of L.A.
The brothers
first official gig was in 1968, playing a free show with their father
at the Rattlesnake
Roundup in
San Antonio, Florida. They honed their early skills playing black
clubs throughout the
south, and
singing backup for artists such as Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, and
Little Anthony & The
Imperials.
Within a few months, the brothers moved north, immersing themselves
and their rock/country
sound in the
Atlanta market, where the Allman Brothers were the emerging kings of
the music world.
With the
dawning of the Age of Aquarius on the horizon, and America embroiled
in a smoke haze of drugs,
civil unrest
and an unpopular war, The Bellamy's music picked-up the hard driving
edge that bespoke
the times.
Songwriting had become David Bellamy’s drug of choice during the long
road gigs he and
Howard were
regularly pulling bodies and equipment to and from. It was his
songwriting that was
posed to soon
provide the duo a national breakout.
The break
came in the form of the hit, “Spiders & Snakes,” written by David and
recorded by Jim Stafford.
The song
became a smash, eventually selling more than three million units
worldwide. It became the
catapult that
rocketed the brother onto the L.A. music scene. Young and
impressionable, Howard and
David fell
into the musical circle of the greats of the day: Bob Dylan, James
Taylor, and Van Morrison,
as well as
West Coast based country rockers like Poco and the Byrds.
It was a
creative shoe that fit.
Now known by their music and the company they were keeping, The
Bellamys officially lifted off the
launch pad in 1976 when their single, “Let Your Love Flow,” became an
instant smash in both the U.S.
and Europe. It stayed on the international charts long enough to
build a huge international fan base
for the hip young brothers that endures to this day. In Germany alone
it perched at #1 for more than two
months. The love was indeed flowing as The Bellamys jammed for
audiences on their sold-out concerts
and shared stages with the likes of Loggins & Messina, the Doobie
Brothers, and the Beach Boys.,
with their patented blend of rock/country music.
True to their musical roots, their style and their
songwriting was moving steadily more towards their
raising. By the late ‘70’s The Bellamys were emerging
on the country charts with another bona fide
smash. “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You
Hold It Against Me),” originally scrawled on a
dinner napkin by David, rocketed them to the top of the
country charts the way “Let Your Love Flow,”
had done in the pop market just a few years earlier.
It proved to be the first of a string of fourteen #1
singles in the U.S. alone.
Success
followed success: “Dancing Cowboys,” “Sugar Daddy,” “You Ain’t Just
Whistlin’ Dixie,” “Lovers
Live Longer,”
“Do You Love As Good As You Look,” “Redneck Girl,” “For All The Wrong
Reasons,” “I
Love Her
Mind,” “I Need More Of You,” “Old Hippie,” “Too Much Is Not Enough,”
“Kids Of The Baby
Boom,” and
“Reggae Cowboy” and “Crazy From The Heart,”…all have lined the
corridors of the
Bellamy’s
musical history and their walls with platinum and gold.
Along the way, Howard and David created a patent on the
newly cool “duo” category in country music.
In the era of the 2000’s, The Bellamy Brothers hold the
record in both the Academy of Country Music
(ACM) and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA)
for the most duo nominations. Numerous
Grammy nods have also been directed toward the
brothers.
Internationally, the story has been the same—though the
titles may be different. The Bellamys have
released more than two-dozen hit songs outside the U.S.
that were never released here. With a sharp
eye on the songwriting skills that have been the
bedrock of their success, Howard and David concur
that their career is unique in their international
finesse for matching their songs to the market.
“For the international releases, you have to have a strong melody,”
notes David. “The lyric is very
important, but internationally the melody is something fans can lock
into, even if they can’t understand
the lyrics.” Howard and David continue to perform and film TV
specials in Europe and around the world.
These days when the subject turns to touring, The
Bellamys are showing a new generation of country
music how it’s done. “We’re old road dogs,” grins
Howard when asked about the motivation behind the
brothers 200 plus concert dates each year. Adds David:
“Our live draw is bigger than it was in the ‘80’s.
I think the same people that grew up with us and with
our music in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s obviously have
raised a whole new generation of Bellamy fans who
started toddling to our music. Now they’re
turning up at our concerts as college kids, who are
really turned on and tuned in to us and our music….
it’s a great feeling.”
On the
infrequent off days from the road, Howard and David head the bus back
to their 150-acre family
ranch in
Darby, Florida just north of Tampa. A working ranch, the spread
consists of Purebred Charlois
cattle and
quarter horses. Amid a land lush with fruit trees, ancient oaks and
crepe myrtles, three
generation of
the Bellamy family, headed by David and Howard’s mother, Frances,
populate the
homes
clustered in the family compound.
David and
Howard’s latest effort has been the corroboration with thirty or more
guest artists from all
genres of
music recording their vocals on over twenty of the Bellamy’s greatest
hits plus three new selections.
The release
of “Angels & Outlaws - Volume One” (Curb/Bellamy Brothers
Records) features such
songs and
artists as “You Ain’t Just Whistlin’ Dixie” with Alan Jackson; “Old
Hippie” with Montgomery
Gentry; and
“If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body” with none other than Ms. Dolly
Parton (whose interpretation
makes it
sound new all over again). Cuts from Volume One have charted here as
well as in Europe.
(As reported,
“The Bellamy Brothers Country Music Duo makes history by scoring the
Top 3 Slots on Europe’s
Hotdisc
Chart.”) Willie Nelson, George Jones, Tanya Tucker and many more also
contributed their talents
to this CD
proving these hits from the past still resonate today. Once again, The
Bellamy’s “Let Their Hits Flow.”
Stay tuned
for Volume II and another 30 years.
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