John Ford Coley
Go! Interview
John Ford Coley, best known for his long partnership with “England Dan” Seals, will perform his big hits and new tunes as the headlining act for the Great Miami River Days.
A sixth-generation Texan, Coley said that music was always an integral part of his life.
“I was raised in the environment of a church,” he said in a phone interview from his Nashville home. “Both parents sang in choir and Daddy played violin a little. And they were always watching Lawrence Welk and Mitch Miller on television, so there I had a fairly eclectic exposure to music growing up.”
Coley studied classical piano, and by the time he was 16, he was ready to turn pro and joined a cover band called Playboys Five which featured Seals, who is a cousin to Fairfield native and Little Texas alumnus Brady Seals, as lead vocalist.
“The lead guitarist quit and most of the band wanted to branch out and add a keyboard player,” Coley said. “Dan was the only one who wanted another guitar player, so we didn’t really hit it off at first, but we were both interested in writing songs, so we learned to get along.”
That band evolved into a rhythm’n’blues band called Southwest F.O.B., which scored a minor hit with “The Smell of Incense” in 1968. Coley and Seals would warm up the shows with an acoustic set, and soon decided that was the direction they should take. They left Southwest F.O.B., which later went on to become Black Oak Arkansas, for California, and by 1970 had a recording deal with A&M Records as England Dan & John Ford Coley.
It took until 1976, however, for them to score a big national hit with “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight,” which reached No. 1, followed by “Nights are Forever Without You,” peaking at No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
When the duo split up in 1980, Seals went on to become Dan Seals again and perform country music.
“I hovered around a few years and then went into film,” Coley said. “First as an actor, then I started putting music into films, which was a lot of fun.”
He never really stopped writing and performing, but he hasn’t recorded much in the last 20 years, but he frequently performs in songwriter circles around Nashville and has produced records for others.
“I’ve got a truckload of new songs, but I’ve just never gotten into the studio to record,” he said. “One thing leads to another and I just don’t get around to it. Eventually, I will.”
Coley has also written one book, “Backstage Pass,” about all the funny things that happened on the road, and is working on another about his spiritual journey, ”converting to another religion outside Christianity and coming back again about eight years ago.”
A version of this story originally ran in the Go! section of the JournalNews on Sept.7, 2007.
Although changes in personnel have added fresh and younger players to the bluegrass outfit, the band also has generated something of a following in its six years, so the name has stuck.
