America: The Encore Tour 2025 at Morrison Center

As AMERICA, the perennial classic-rock favorite, hits the road in 2025, they’re celebrating their 55th Anniversary with their powerful performances. America met in high school in London in the late 1960s. They quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song “A Horse With No Name," becoming a global household name and paving the way with an impressive string of hits following the success of their first #1 single.

America’s best-known tunes, which include “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair” were cornerstones of 1970’s Top 40 and FM rock radio. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners would discover there was always much more to America than surface perceptions. The combination of melodic pop rock and folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with other more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

AMERICA‘s albums–six certified gold and/or platinum, with their first greatest hits collection, History, hitting four plus million in sales–displayed a fuller range of the trio’s talents than did their singles. Their material encompassed an ambitious artistic swath; from effects-laden rockers to oddball medleys to soul-bearing ballads, AMERICA displayed a flawless blend of disparate genres and styles as wide-open as the great American plains.

Enjoying massive success early in their career, AMERICA earned their stripes amidst the excess, craziness, and chaos of the 70’s. The trio won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1972 and began working with George Martin and Geoff Emerick in 1974. This successful team went on to record seven albums and several Top Ten hits, including “Tin Man," “Sister Golden Hair," and “Lonely People."

In 2020, the band released their ultimate 8-disc anniversary box set, Half Century (America Records), and streamed their concert special America–Live at the London Palladium for the very first time (it is commercially available as a DVD and CD). 2020 also saw the release of the book “America, the Band, An Authorized Biography” by journalist Jude Warne. She weaves original interviews with the band and many others into a dynamic cultural history of AMERICA, the band, and America, the nation. Billy Bob Thornton wrote the foreword.

In 2024, the band released a live album, America–Live From The Hollywood Bowl 1975 (Primary Wave Music; distributed by Sun Records). It features never-before-heard recordings of their iconic 1975 performance backed by a symphony conducted by the legendary George Martin. This extraordinary performance has been preserved in never-before-heard tapes that were recently restored and remastered for this special release.

The band is now the subject of a new documentary, I Need You: 53 Years Of The Band America. The documentary takes audiences backstage as Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell privately say goodbye to a lifetime together on the road. Beckley remains an active member of the band but retired from touring in 2024, while America continues to tour with Bunnell at the helm. It’s currently making the rounds at film festivals this year after winning the Audience Award at Newport Beach Film Festival for “Best Music Film.”

From their formative years, America has been a band capable of transcending borders with its uplifting music and positive message. Embracing a rainbow of divergent cultures, America’s audiences continue to grow, comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third generation fans, all bearing testament to the group’s enduring appeal.