JIM SEALS, 1941-2022

Jim Seals, the primary lead singer of '70s soft-rock stars Seals & Crofts, died Monday at the age of 80. No cause of death was given.

Seals, a guitarist and violinist, and Dash Crofts, who played mandolin and guitar, had a string of hits between 1972 and 1978 that included “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl,” “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” and “You’re the Love.” They co-wrote nearly every song they recorded.

Texas-born Seals moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s and joined a post-“Tequila” edition of The Champs and Eddie Cochran’s band as a saxophonist. He first worked with Crofts in The Dawnbreakers, writing songs that expressed their Baha’i faith.

They eventually chose to work as a duo, releasing two albums on David Susskind’s Talent Associates Records that received little notice. 1972's Summer Breeze, their fourth album overall and second released by Warner Bros., would be a million-seller (now double platinum). Diamond Girl (1973) was certified gold. Their subsequent album, 1974’s Unborn Child, was issued despite the label’s reservations about the anti-abortion stance of the title track. The LP nonetheless rose to #14.

Dropped by Warner in 1980 after making eight albums for the label, Seals & Crofts officially broke up but continued to perform together at Baha’i gatherings. They reunited twice—for a tour in 1991 and a record and tour in 2004.

Seals, who initially played violin, came from a musical family that included his guitarist father and brother Dan, who played bass for and later enjoyed hits with England Dan & John Ford Coley. Uncle Chuck Seals co-wrote the Ray Price hit “Crazy Arms.”

Seals retired from music after moving to Nashville. He suffered a stroke in 2017.