View source for Dan Seals

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{short description|American singer-songwriter (1948–2009)}}
{{About|the American musician|the US congressional candidate|Dan Seals (politician)}}

{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Dan Seals
| image           = England Dan (1976).jpg
| caption         = Seals in 1976
| alt = A black-and-white headshot of Dan Seals
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Danny Wayland Seals
| alias           = England Dan
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1948|2|8}}
| birth_place     = [[McCamey, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|2009|3|25|1948|2|8}}
| death_place     = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| instrument      = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}}
| genre           = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]|[[soft rock]]}}
| occupation      = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| years_active    = 1970–2009
| label           = {{hlist|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]|[[Liberty Records|Liberty]]|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]|Intersound|TDC|Lightyear}}
| past_member_of = [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]]
}}

'''Danny Wayland Seals''' (February 8, 1948 &ndash; March 25, 2009), also known as '''England Dan''', was an American musician. The younger brother of [[Seals and Crofts]] member [[Jim Seals]], he first gained fame as one half of the [[soft rock]] duo [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]], who charted nine singles between 1976 and 1980, including the No.&nbsp;2 [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' 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 to [[country music]]. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he released 16 [[studio album]]s and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Eleven of his singles reached number one: "[[Meet Me in Montana]]" (with [[Marie Osmond]]), "[[Bop (Dan Seals song)|Bop]]" (also a No.&nbsp;42 pop hit), "[[Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)]]", "[[You Still Move Me]]", "[[I Will Be There (Dan Seals song)|I Will Be There]]", "[[Three Time Loser]]", "[[One Friend]]", "[[Addicted (Dan Seals song)|Addicted]]", "[[Big Wheels in the Moonlight]]", "[[Love on Arrival]]", and "[[Good Times (Sam Cooke song)|Good Times]]". Five more of his singles also reached top ten on the same chart.

==Background==
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 of [[Seals 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 on [[the Beatles]] and briefly affected an [[British English|English]] accent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bluedesert.dk/dancoley.html|title=ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY|website=Bluedesert.dk|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Pore-Lee-Dunn Productions |url=http://www.classicbands.com/england.html |title=England Dan and John Ford Coley |website=Classicbands.com |access-date=April 10, 2012}}</ref>

==Collaboration with John Ford Coley==
{{Main|England Dan & John Ford Coley}}
Dan joined with fellow [[W. W. Samuell High School]] classmate and longtime friend [[John Ford Coley]] to perform first as part of Dallas pop/psych group [[Southwest F.O.B.]] ('[[FOB (shipping)|Free On Board]]'), whose material has been re-released on CD by the [[Sundazed Music|Sundazed]] label, and then as the duo [[England 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<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/5132594/Dan-Seals.html|title=Dan Seals|date=April 9, 2009|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>
that this led to a period of severe financial challenge which ended only when the duo signed to [[Big 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.&nbsp;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 (Utopia song)|Love Is the Answer]]" (No. 10 in May 1979). After seven [[LP album|LPs]], they disbanded in 1980 and Seals reinvented himself as a solo country-pop artist, signing with [[Atlantic Records]] in 1980.

== Solo career ==
When Seals signed to [[Capitol Records]] in 1983 he shifted to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] 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 album ''[[Rebel Heart (Dan Seals album)|Rebel 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 with [[Marie 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 of [[Sam Cooke|Sam Cooke's]] "[[Good Times (Sam Cooke song)|Good Times]]" in 1990. Just as the [[pop rock]] market had changed radically in the 1980s, so did country music in the 1990s with the arrival of [[Garth Brooks]]'s turbo-charged anthems. Seals devoted more time to his family and his religion, the [[Baháʼí Faith]], though he continued to record and tour; he performed at the [[Baháʼí World Congress]] in 1992.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/07/obituary-dan-seals|title=Dan Seals|last=Cartwright|first=Garth|date=April 6, 2009|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=November 7, 2016}}</ref>

==Albums==

===''Stones'' and ''Harbinger''===
He kept the name England Dan for his debut album, ''[[Stones (Dan Seals 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.&nbsp;57 on the US Hot 100. Otherwise, it was unsuccessful. His next album, ''[[Harbinger (Dan Seals album)|Harbinger]]'', was unsuccessful commercially. None of its singles charted, and he turned his attention to [[country music]] and adapted his style to fit country radio's demands while still keeping his signature soft sound. He signed to [[Capitol Records]] in 1983.

===''Rebel Heart''===
1983's ''[[Rebel Heart (Dan Seals album)|Rebel 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.&nbsp;18. The next single "After You," however, charted lower, at No.&nbsp;28. "[[You Really Go for the Heart]]" was even less successful, but still managed to crack the top 40, reaching No.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;10. The album peaked at No.&nbsp;40 on the country albums chart, his first album to enter [[Top Country Albums]].

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

===''Won't Be Blue Anymore''===
His 1985 album ''[[Won't Be Blue Anymore]]'' became his most successful studio album, reaching No.&nbsp;1 on the country albums chart and earning [[RIAA]] gold certification. "[[Meet Me in Montana]]," a duet with [[Marie Osmond]], became his first No.&nbsp;1 hit in 1985 and the first of nine straight Number Ones.<ref name="jw40">Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p.284. {{ISBN|0-8230-7632-6}}.</ref> Written by [[Paul Davis (singer)|Paul Davis]],<ref>Whitburn, Joel (1991). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits'', p.432-433. {{ISBN|0-8230-7553-2}}.</ref> the single won the artists the Vocal Duo of the Year Award at the [[Country Music Association|CMA]] awards in 1986. The album's next single, "[[Bop (Dan Seals song)|Bop]]," also co-written by Paul Davis, with [[Jennifer Kimball]], became his first solo No.&nbsp;1 and was named Single of the Year at 1986's CMA awards.<ref name="jw40"/> After it came "[[Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)]]," about a [[rodeo]] cowboy having to cope with [[single parent]]hood (written by Seals and fellow Texan [[Bob McDill]]).<ref>Whitburn, Joel (1991). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits'', p.458. {{ISBN|0-8230-7553-2}}.</ref>

===''On the Front Line''===
''[[On the Front Line (Dan Seals album)|On the Front Line]]'' reached No.&nbsp;12 on the country albums chart. The three singles from it all reached No.&nbsp;1 in 1987:<ref name="jw40"/> "[[You Still Move Me]],” "[[I Will Be There (Dan Seals song)|I Will Be There]]," and "[[Three Time Loser]].”

===''The Best''===
Dan Seals released his first compilation album ''[[The Best (Dan Seals album)|The 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's ''San Antone,'' was re-recorded for this collection and continued his No.&nbsp;1 streak. The album peaked at No.&nbsp;7 and was certified platinum.

===''Rage On''===
1988 saw the release of Dan Seals' ''[[Rage On]]'' album. The first single, "[[Addicted (Dan Seals song)|Addicted]]," not only became a No.&nbsp;1 country hit but also got its writer, [[Cheryl Wheeler]], a contract with Capitol Records in 1989.<ref>Whitburn, Joel (1991). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits'', p.531. {{ISBN|0-8230-7553-2}}.</ref> The next single, the truck driving song "[[Big Wheels in the Moonlight]]," was released in late 1988, and reached No.&nbsp;1 in early 1989, becoming his ninth No.&nbsp;1 single in a row. This streak was broken when the album's third and final single, "[[They Rage On]]," peaked at No.&nbsp;5. The album peaked at No.&nbsp;6, and is the second highest peaking of his albums.

===''On Arrival''===
Dan Seals began the 1990s with his eighth album, ''[[On Arrival]]''. The first single "[[Love on Arrival]]" reached No.&nbsp;1 in 1990, and stayed there for three weeks. After it came a cover of the [[Sam Cooke]] standard "[[Good Times (Sam Cooke song)|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.

===''Greatest Hits''===
Dan Seals' second compilation album, titled ''[[Greatest Hits (Dan Seals album)|Greatest Hits]]'' was released in 1991. It contained his hits from the albums ''Won't Be Blue Anymore'', ''Rage On'', and ''On Arrival'', along with a new track, "Ball and Chain," which was not released as a single.

===''Walking the Wire''===
By this time, the country music landscape had changed abruptly, and Dan Seals found his style out of favor. He moved to [[Warner Bros. Records]] in 1991, and released ''[[Walking the Wire (album)|Walking 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.

==Later albums, career and death==
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 as ''[[Fired Up (Dan Seals album)|Fired Up]]'' in 1994, his final album for Warner Bros. He signed to Intersound and released ''[[In a Quiet Room]]'' in 1995, comprising acoustic versions of his earlier hits. He then switched to TDC and released ''[[In a Quiet Room II]]'' in 1998, followed by ''Make It Home'' in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/seals_dan/bio.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040222163639/http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/seals_dan/bio.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2004|title=CMT.com : Dan Seals : Biography|work=[[Country Music Television|CMT]]|access-date=January 6, 2009}}</ref>

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.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for cancer ([[mantle cell lymphoma]]) at [[Vanderbilt University Medical Center]] in [[Nashville]] and at [[M.D. Anderson Cancer Center]] in [[Houston]], and received a stem cell transplant at the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) in [[Maryland]]. He died at the age of 61, on March 25, 2009, at his daughter's home in Nashville.<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.sealsandseals.com/  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110825155515/http://www.sealsandseals.com/ | archive-date =August 25, 2011
| title =Seals and Seals - Dan Seals Memorial
 | date =2011
 | website =SealsandSeals.com
 | access-date =October 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bahaisonline.net/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=2302 |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018213612/http://bahaisonline.net/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=2302 |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/arts/music/27seals.html|title=Dan Seals, Known as England Dan of Pop-Folk Duo, Dies at 61|first=Bill|last=Friskics-Warren|date=March 26, 2009|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Prior to Seals's death, he recorded two duets with [[Juice Newton]], for her 2010 release ''[[Duets: Friends & Memories]],'' covering [[Heart (band)|Heart]]'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 album ''[[You Can't Make Old Friends (album)|You Can't Make Old Friends]].''

==Discography==
{{Main|Dan Seals discography}}

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

===Compilation albums===
*''[[The Best (Dan Seals album)|The Best]]'' (1987)
*''Portrait'' (1990)
*''Early Dan Seals'' (1991)
*''[[Greatest Hits (Dan Seals album)|Greatest Hits]]'' (1991)
*''The Best of Dan Seals'' (1994)
*''Certified Hits'' (2001)
*''The Best of Dan Seals'' (2005)

===''Billboard'' number-one hits===
*"[[Meet Me in Montana]]" <small>with [[Marie Osmond]]</small> (1 week, 1985)
*"[[Bop (Dan Seals song)|Bop]]" (1 week, 1986)
*"[[Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)]]" (1 week, 1986)
*"[[You Still Move Me]]" (1 week, 1987)
*"[[I Will Be There (Dan Seals song)|I Will Be There]]" (1 week, 1987)
*"[[Three Time Loser]]" (1 week, 1987)
*"[[One Friend]]" (1 week, 1988)
*"[[Addicted (Cheryl Wheeler song)|Addicted]]" (1 week, 1988)
*"[[Big Wheels in the Moonlight]]" (1 week, 1989)
*"[[Love on Arrival]]" (3 weeks, 1990)
*"[[Good Times (Sam Cooke song)|Good Times]]" (2 weeks, 1990)

==Awards and nominations==
=== Grammy Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[28th Grammy Awards|1986]]
|"[[Meet Me in Montana]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[31st Grammy Awards|1989]]
|"[[Addicted (Cheryl Wheeler song)|Addicted]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Male Country Vocal Performance]]
|{{nom}}
|}

=== American Music Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[American Music Awards of 1987|1987]]
|"[[Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)]]"
|[[American Music Award for Favorite Country Song|Favorite Country Single]]
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Music City News Country Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[20th Music City News Country Awards|1986]]
|Dan Seals
|Star of Tomorrow
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Marie Osmond]] and Dan Seals
|rowspan=2| Vocal Duo of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[21st Music City News Country Awards|1987]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|"[[Bop (Dan Seals song)|Bop]]"
|Single of the Year
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Academy of Country Music Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[20th Academy of Country Music Awards|1985]]
|Dan Seals
|[[Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year|Top New Male Vocalist]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[21st Academy of Country Music Awards|1986]]
|Dan Seals and [[Marie Osmond]]
|Top Vocal Duo of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[22nd Academy of Country Music Awards|1987]]
|"[[Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)]]"
|Song of the Year
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Country Music Association Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|rowspan=3| [[1986 Country Music Association Awards|1986]]
|Dan Seals
|[[Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year|Horizon Award]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|"[[Bop (Dan Seals song)|Bop]]"
|[[Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year|Single of the Year]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2| Dan Seals and [[Marie Osmond]]
|rowspan=2| [[Country Music Association Award for Vocal Duo of the Year|Vocal Duo of the Year]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[1987 Country Music Association Awards|1987]]
|{{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*Lomax III, John (1998). "Dan Seals". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;474–5. {{ISBN|978-0195176087}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1804|label=Dan Seals}}
* [http://www.legacy.com/KnoxNews/Obituaries.asp?page=LifeStory&personId=125485210 Obituary] in the [[Knoxville News Sentinel]]
*{{Find a Grave|35180404}}
{{Dan Seals}}
{{England Dan & John Ford Coley}}
{{CMA Duo of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}

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