Born 85 Years Ago Today in the Lone Star State, the Soft Rock Legend Who Helped Define the Sound of the 70s With Five Gold Albums
Jim Seals, one half of soft rock duo Seals & Crofts, built a successful career with Dash Crofts and helped shape the 1970s sound through songs including “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl”. The article looks back at Seals’s life and music, noting that he was born in Texas and died in 2022, aged 79.
Seals learned fiddle as a child, later mastered several instruments and met Crofts while playing saxophone in a high-school band. The duo released five Gold-certified albums between 1972 and 1976; *Summer Breeze* and *Greatest Hits* each reached double Platinum certification, while *Summer Breeze* peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. After the pair split in 1980, Seals performed with his brother England Dan, then retired following a stroke in 2017.
- Jim Seals helped define 1970s soft rock as one half of Seals & Crofts.
- The duo earned five Gold-certified albums between 1972 and 1976.
- Seals retired after a stroke and died in 2022, aged 79.