We were fortunate enough to obtain an exclusive interview with Howard Bellamy from the Bellamy Brothers about their upcoming tour to South Africa. Listen to the exclusive interview at http://bit.ly/2zXVGbE.
About the tour
Lefra
Productions is proud to announce that the well-known American Duo, The Bellamy
Brothers, will be touring South Africa and Namibia in November 2017. They are well-known for international hits
like “Let your love flow”, “If i said you have a beautiful body, (would you
hold it against me)”, “Crazy from the heart” and many more. The well known South African country singer,
Jason Bradley will do the opening act for the Bellamy Brothers in Gauteng and
Namibia. They will be performing as
follows:
·
Friday, 24 November 2017 @ 20:00 – Independence Stadium, Windhoek,
Namibia
·
Saturday, 25 November 2017 @ 20:30 – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town (Bok
Radio Food Festival)
·
Sunday, 26 November 2017 @ 18:00 – Big Top Arena, Carnival City, Brakpan
·
Wednesday, 29 November 2017 @ 20:00 – Mosaiek Teatro, Johannesburg/Roodepoort
Bookings
can be done at Computicket at 0861 915 8000 or www.computicket.com. Groups of more than 10 qualifies for a
discount. Please phone Lefra Productions
on (011) 815 3000 or email to admin@lefra.com.
For more information please visit www.lefra.com.
Howard
and David Bellamy continue to prove that the trail they’ve ridden to fame has
been as unique as their music itself—music that is now celebrating 40 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 brothers
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.
The
Bellamy Brothers latest project is their new album titled '40 Years' is an
ambitious project that celebrates their career with 20 of their biggest hits
and then adds 20 brand new songs in this 2 cd anniversary collection