Jim Seals, a founding member of the soft rock combo Seals & Crofts in the 1970s, died at the age of 80.
Jim Seals Cause of Death
There have been no details disclosed about his demise.
Seals were born in 1941 in Sidney, Texas. He teamed up with fellow Texan Darrell “Dash” Crofts in the 1950s.
They relocated to California and began writing songs for other singers before finding success with their own music.
They’re best known for the hits “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl,” and “Get Closer,” which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Crofts met him when he was a drummer in a local band. Seals later joined Dean Beard and the Crew Cuts, a band in which he played guitar.
They relocated to Los Angeles with Beard to join The Champs, but only after the group’s “Tequila” hit number one in 1958. During 1959, Seals was a member of Eddie Cochran’s touring band.
After failing to find success with his first band, The Dawnbreakers, Seals reunited with Crofts and the two decided to form a duo, with Seals on guitar, sax, and violin and Crofts on guitar and mandolin.
In August 1971, the duo signed a new contract with Warner Bros. Records. Their debut album with their new label did not chart, but their second, Summer Breeze, did, peaking at #7 in 1972. It went on to sell over a million copies. In 1980, the duo split up.
Seals has long been a proponent of the Bahá’ Faith in the public eye. “England” Dan Seals, of England Dan & John Ford Coley, is Seals’ brother.
His wife of 57 years, Ruby Jean, and three children, Joshua, Juliette, and Sutherland, survive him.
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