The Bellamy Brothers
are an American pop and country music duo composed of brothers David Milton Bellamy
(born September 16, 1950 [1]) and Homer Howard Bellamy
(born February 2, 1946), both from Darby, Florida, United States. The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit "Let Your Love Flow" in 1976, a Number One single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Starting in the late 1970s, the Bellamy Brothers found success in country music as well, charting twenty Number One singles and more than fifty hits overall on the country charts. To date, they have released more than fifty albums, primarily on Curb Records.
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History
David and Howard Bellamy were inspired by many musical sources from an early age. Their father played
country music around the house, and was also a member of a local
Western swing band; in addition, they were inspired by the
rock and roll music their sister played, as well as the
calypso music sung by
Jamaican harvesters working in the family
orange groves.
[2] [3] Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to play
guitar,
mandolin, and
banjo. In addition, David learned
accordion,
fiddle,
organ, and
piano.
Their first musical gig was in 1968 at a benefit concert with their father in
San Antonio, Florida at the Rattlesnake Roundup.
[4] Soon after, the brothers moved to
Atlanta, Georgia and formed a band called Jericho.
However, playing in bands and clubs proved tiresome for the brothers, who soon moved back home.
The brothers were soon noticed by a friend of recording artist
Jim Stafford, who eventually recorded "Spiders and Snakes", a tune written by David. "Spiders and Snakes" went on to become a Top 5 hit, providing the Bellamys with the money to move to
Los Angeles, California.
Howard became a
road manager for Stafford; Stafford's previous road manager,
Leo Gallagher, later gained fame as a
comedian.
1970s
The duo signed to
Curb Records in 1975. A single featuring only David, "Nothin' Heavy", was unsuccessful. However, at the suggestion of
Neil Diamond's drummer Dennis St. John, the brothers recorded and released the single "
Let Your Love Flow", written by Diamond's roadie Larry Williams .
[5] Released in 1976, "Let Your Love Flow" was a No. 1 single on the
United States pop charts, as well as more than a dozen countries worldwide.
[6]
Although "
Let Your Love Flow" was also a hit on the
Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the Bellamys' country music success was limited until 1979, when "
If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was released. The song, whose
double entendre
title was derived from a
Groucho Marx quote
[7], landed the Bellamys their first country music No. 1 in the United States. It was first played on radio in the United Kingdom in
Northern Ireland before becoming "Song of the Year" for all of the U.K. in 1979.
[8]
1980s and 1990s
After the success of "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body," the brothers continued with a run of country hits, including tunes such as the fun-loving "Redneck Girl"; serious ballads like "Santa Fe" and the insightful social commentary pieces, "Old Hippie" and "Kids of the Baby Boom."
Billboard
named the Bellamy Brothers as Top Country Duo
and they eventually went on to set the record for most duo nominations from both
Academy of Country Music and
Country Music Association.
[9]
In 1991, the Bellamys switched to
Atlantic Records. Their tenure there produced one album before the duo formed its own label, a first in country music.
[10] Although they were still recording albums, their singles struggled to achieve the success of their previous hits
, and by 1999 they had switched to Blue Hat Records for their
Lonely Planet
album.
2000s
In 2005, the Bellamys returned to Curb Records to record
Angels & Outlaws, Volume 1
, a compilation album featuring re-recordings of the duo's older hits with additional artists, including
Dolly Parton,
George Jones,
Alan Jackson,
Tanya Tucker, and
Montgomery Gentry.
[11] A re-recorded version of "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body", featuring Dolly Parton, spent one week at #60 on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart in 2005.
The Bellamy's most recent studio project was an album of
gospel music, titled
Jesus Is Coming
, released on May 8, 2007.
[12] Its title track was previously recorded on
Native American
in 1995.
In 2008, the song "Let Your Love Flow" was used in the
Barclaycard advert for their new contactless cards. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at #48 based on downloads and peaked at #21 in the pop charts in March 2009
[13] and was listed on BMI’s list of Top 100 Song of the Century at #68 that same year.
[14]
It was most recently covered by Petra Haden and used in the 2010 Toyota Prius commercial.
The Bellamy's newest project
The Anthology, Vol. 1.
will be released August 1, 2009. It includes the single "Guilty of the Crime" which is a collaboration with the
Bacon Brothers. The video for the single features
Shannen Doherty of
Beverly Hills 90210 fame.
[15]
Jesse and Noah
In the late 1990s, David's sons, Noah and Jesse, became active in the music scene. In 1998, they formed a group called Burning Sky. The group released a video that year for their single "It Weeps In My Heart" which was featured on CMT.
[16] They currently perform as the duo Jesse and Noah, which has found success in the state of
Texas. Their single "Daddy's Got A Shotgun" made it on the Texas Music Chart's Top 50 of 2006.
[17]
Discography
References
- Top 100 Country Music Artists of All Time - No. 83 - The Bellamy Brothers
- Biography
- Bellamy Brothers - Biography
- BellamyBrothers.com : Up Close
- Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers SongFacts
- “DUETS WITH THE DUET”: THE BELLAMY BROTHERS HOOK UP WITH COUNTRY SUPERSTARS FOR LONG-AWAITED ANGELS & OUTLAWS VOL. 1 , ON CURB RECORDS, MARCH 29
- If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me) by the Bellamy Brothers SongFacts
- Bellamy brothers are coming ... so don't hold that song against them
- Interview With the Bellamy Brothers
- Road Warriors: The Bellamy Brothers
- Luck Media & Marketing INC.
- Bellamy Brothers celebrate outlaw gospel spirit
- http://acharts.us/song/40093
- Preshias' Monthly Column: Music News
- Bellamy Brothers, Bacon Brothers 'Guilty Of The Crime' - New Video Debuts On CMT Pure
- CMT.com : Bellamy Brothers : Bellamys - The Next Generation
- With a few tricks up their sleeves, the Bellamy Brothers will rock the Electric Cowboy Thursday