Jim Seals

Jim Seals, who as half of the duo Seals and Crofts symbolized an era of '70s soft-rock with hits like 'Diamond Girl,' has died at 80.

In 1991, when Seals and Crofts made a stab at a reunion, they talked about their breakup with the L.A. Times. “Around 1980,” Seals told the newspaper, “we were still drawing 10,000 to 12,000 people at concerts. We just decided that it was a good time, after a long run at it, to lie back and not totally commit ourselves to that kind of thing because we were like (fish) out of water.” By the time they broke up in 1980, their brand of music was finding far less of a place in disco-fied top 40 stations. The duo stirred controversy in 1974 by recording an anti-abortion song, “Unborn Child,” as their album’s track in 1974 in the wake of the Roe v. The belief that abortion was wrong came out of their shared Baha’i beliefs, and they released it over the objections of their label, Warner Bros. Seals was quoted in Texas Monthly as having noted the sudden shift when they arrived for a gig in Ohio: “There were kids waiting for us at the airport. When Jim pulled out his fiddle for a hoedown on ‘Fiddle in the Sky,’ throngs of sunbaked hippies clapped along.” They tried cutting “Summer Breeze” earlier but didn’t come up with a version they liked until their third album in 1972, which they named after the track. The pair moved to L.A. and joined a group called the Dawnbreakers, also playing for a time behind Glen Campbell, just before he broke out as a major star. “We didn’t always agree and it wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun but it definitely was always entertaining for sure. Although none of the pair’s hits ever reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, their biggest songs were for a time as ubiquitous as any that did top the chart. “I just learned that James ‘Jimmy’ Seals has passed,” announced his cousin, Brady Seals, a former member of the country band Little Texas, Monday night.

Jim Seals, who scored soft-rock pop hits with "Diamond Girl," "Summer Breeze" and "Get Closer" as one half of the Seals & Crofts, died Monday at 80.

Summer Breeze was released in September 1972, and its hooky title cut stormed into the Top 10, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The pair had one more big hit in store. But by 1969, both were back in L.A. and inked a deal with Warner Bros. Records as Seals & Crofts. Following the Summer Breeze disc’s pattern, second single “We May Never Pass This Way Again” peaked at No. 21. That group was hot off the revered No. 1 instrumental smash “Tequila,” and guitarist Glen Campbell also joined the band after that hit. Jim Seals already was a music veteran when he teamed with longtime off-and-on bandmate Dash Crofts to form Seals & Crofts in 1969.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Jim Seals, who teamed with fellow musician “Dash" Crofts on such 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze," “Diamond Girl" and “We May Never ...

Wade Supreme Court decision and was banned by some radio stations. “And it will never pass this way again as his song said. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind."

Jim Seals of the iconic 1970s singing duo Seals and Crofts died on Monday. He was 80.

Seals first took up the sax at age 13 after years of playing the fiddle that his oilman father bought him as a child, according to Variety. In 1952, Seals dominated the fiddle division of a contest while his own father won in guitar. While those works went under the radar, “Summer Breeze” finally caught the attention of mainstream listeners in 1972. And it will never pass this way again, as his song said,” he wrote, a nod to Seals & Crofts’ 1973 hit song. Coley — who was half of the singing group England Dan & John Ford Coley alongside Jim Seals’ brother, Dan, who died in 2009 — noted that while the two “didn’t always see eye to eye,” Coley called Seals an “enigma.” Seals & Crofts helmed the era of soft rock, with a string of hit tracks in the ’70s including “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” which featured Carolyn Willis. While none of their tunes reached No. 1, they did make it in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “We didn’t always agree and it wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun but it definitely was always entertaining for sure.

Jim Seals, who teamed with fellow musician "Dash" Crofts on such 1970s soft-rock hits as "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl" has died. He was 80.

“She and her family were Bahai, and they’d have these fireside gatherings at their house on Friday night," he said. Wade Supreme Court decision and was banned by some radio stations. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind.”

Seals teamed with fellow musician "Dash" Crofts on such 1970s soft-rock hits as "Summer Breeze," "Diamond Girl" and "We May Never Pass This Way Again."

"And it will never pass this way again as his song said. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind." "We are forever inspired by his selfless life of service and his pure and kindly heart that touched all who crossed his path," Seals' family statement said.

Jim Seals, one half of the popular 1970s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts, has died at age 80, Variety reports. Along with his musical partner, Darrell "Dash" ...

A native of Sydney, Texas, Seals first began playing with fellow Texan Crofts during the 1950s. The duo went on an extended hiatus after they were dropped by their record label in 1980. Along with his musical partner, Darrell “Dash” Crofts, Seals scored a series of hits during the 1970s, including three top-10 singles: 1972’s “Summer Breeze,” 1973’s “Diamond Girl” and 1976’s “Get Closer,” which all peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts known for 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “We May Never Pass This Way Again,” has died at 80.

“And it will never pass this way again as his song said. Wade Supreme Court decision and was banned by some radio stations. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind.”

Jim Seals, who teamed with fellow musician "Dash" Crofts on such 1970s soft-rock hits as "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl" has died. He was 80.

“She and her family were Bahai, and they’d have these fireside gatherings at their house on Friday night," he said. Wade Supreme Court decision and was banned by some radio stations. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind.”

The musician was part of the US duo Seals and Crofts, whose other hits included Diamond Girl.

Seals' cousin, Brady Seals of the country band Little Texas, added: "My heart just breaks for his wife Ruby and their children. "We were trying to say, 'This is an important issue,' that life is precious and that we don't know enough about these things yet to make a judgment. They sought to reflect those beliefs in their music - which was calmer and more meditative than the noisy excesses of their rock peers. His brother Dan died in 2009 What an incredible legacy he leaves behind." It was banned by several radio stations, while embraced by others, but essentially stalled their career.

Jim Seals, one half of 1970s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts, has died at the age of 80, according to his family.

I am very sad over this but I have some of the best memories of all of us together." We toured together, he and Dash invited us to sing on Seals and Crofts records, and we played with him for years." , Seals' relative Brady Seals -- himself a singer-songwriter -- wrote: "I just learned that James 'Jimmy' Seals has passed.

NEW YORK — Jim Seals, who rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, died Monday, multiple news outlets are reporting.

“He belonged to a group that was one of a kind,” Coley wrote in a “I just learned that James ‘Jimmy’ Seals has passed,” Brady Seals wrote in an According to The Associated Press and Variety, Seals’ cousin Brady Seals, formerly of the band Little Texas, and John Ford Coley, who had been part of a duo with Seals’ brother, Dan “England Dan” Seals, were among those who took to social media to share the news.