RIP Jim Seals

[silverscreenselect]

Half of the 70s singing duo, Seals and Crofts, noted for songs like Summer Breeze and Diamond Girl. Dash Crofts is still alive. At times like this, I always wonder what Tbone would have to say.

Age 80

https://variety.com/2022/music/obituari ... 235286748/

[Vandal]

Pretty sure he’ll never pass this way again.

RIP Seals.

[kroxquo]

He's probably not going to play for you either.

[flockofseagulls104]

In the tradition of T-Bone, I will do a tribute to Jimmy Seals.

Seals and Crofts were my favorite band of the 1970's, when I was in High School.
I had all of their albums. I went to several of their concerts and even tried (and failed) to learn how to play the mandolin.

I was a full-blown hippie back then. I knew all the popular music, and the music was soooo good back then. But Seals and Crofts seemed somewhat above all the rest. They filled the gap left by the breakup of the Beatles for me.

I remember first hearing them after I moved to California. Summer Breeze was a breath of fresh air to me. So I started getting their albums, one by one, and fell in love with many of their songs.

I think my two favorites were:
Antoinette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QutJgn85i1s

and

Irish Linen
https://songstube2.net/206337-Seals%20% ... Linen.html


But, as I said, there was something different about them. When they were at their height, they were up on the pedestal with all the other groups of the era. But they did not exactly fit in with the same 'culture' and 'narrative' as the others. They did not fit the 'rock star' mold.

For one, they were very religious, They were devoted adherents to the Ba'hai Faith. Basically, this was a religion that accepted that all the major religious figures in all major religions were part of one God. After most of their concerts, they hung around afterward and led discussions about Ba'hai. And many of their songs were inspired by their faith and the scriptures thereof:

East of Ginger Trees was taken from the Ba'hai scriptures
https://songstube2.net/206345-Seals%20% ... Trees.html

Year of Sunday is a brief synopsis of the Ba'hai faith
https://youtu.be/qYITQmUJ8eY

Unlike many of the rock stars of that era, they were completely anti-drug.

Not Be Found is a very creative and cryptic anti-drug song
https://youtu.be/Fxq9Gm3PBVI

They both married once and for life, unlike many of their fellow rock stars

Ruby Jean and Billie Lee is a sweet tribute to both Jimmy's and Dash's families
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ47Jf-BnkE

And also, very relevant to today, they wrote a song immediately after Roe v Wade was announced that rankled a lot of people. Many radio stations, in anticipation of the cancel culture of today, refused to play this song only because it expressed a perspective they did not care for.

Unborn Child
https://youtu.be/Bm7JACG-CTk

Both Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were from Texas and had deep roots in bluegrass. They ended their concerts with long Bluegrass jams.

Fiddle Song
https://youtu.be/JvsDmGk4rhI

Their days in the limelight ended as Disco (in my opinion) snuffed out the creative music period of the 60's and 70's. Personally, I lost interest in popular music around that time. At least I didn't keep up too much with it. Instead of trying to 'keep up and keep in' the music business, both Jim and Dash went on to other things, with their families as their main interest. They came together a few times over the years, but not to try to re-establish their fame. Just for the music.

Rest in peace, Jimmy. Play your Fiddle in the Sky.
https://youtu.be/_JRc4bsijQg