–CO-FOUNDING MEMBER OF LEGENDARY ROCK BAND AMERICA–
RELEASES LYRIC VIDEO FOR
“TOKYO,”
THE LEAD SINGLE OFF UPCOMING SOLO ALBUM
‘CAROUSEL’
ALBUM OUT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
VIA BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS
GERRY BECKLEY-co-founding member of the legendary Grammy Award-winning rock band America-has released the lyric video for “Tokyo,” the lead single from his upcoming 12-track solo album CAROUSEL, out Friday, September 9 via the Los Angeles-based indie label Blue Élan Records. Click here to watch the Asian-accented imagery-rich video. The link is included in a newly published interview with BECKLEY with AllAccess.com‘s Jim Villanueva who said, “Beckley covers all bases on Carousel. Whether its conjuring up the unmatchable harmonies of the Beach Boys, incorporating the invaluable studio production tips learned from the late ‘fifth Beatle’ George Martin, or tapping into the unmistakable horn sounds of Chicago, Carousel is a fun, full circle ride into the past, present and future of a songsmith whose musical wheels will never stop turning.” (9/1)
“I wrote it in a lounge in Tokyo while I was waiting for a plane,” BECKLEY tells AllAccess.com of CAROUSEL‘s lead single “Tokyo.” “You never know where creativity is gonna come, but in this case I almost missed the flight. I got started scribbling and stuff and of course lost track of time, and then I looked up and saw that, jeez, it’s been boarding for 20 minutes.”
The shimmeringCAROUSEL, recorded at BECKLEY‘s Los Angeles studio Human Nature, plays to all of BECKLEY‘s strengths with the singer, songwriter and musician playing most instruments on the album. Mary Andrews of AXS.com said, “Gerry’s new album, Carousel, just gets better with each listen. It has many layers that unfold as you explore the tracks.” (8/30) GlideMagazine.com writer Leslie Michele Derrough noted, “…the songs on Carousel flow in musical harmony. From the opening upbeat track, ‘Tokyo,’ through ‘Minutes Count,’ ‘Lifeline,’ ‘Widows Weeds,’ the Gerry Rafferty cover ‘To Each & Everyone,’ to the crescendo of ‘Serious’ and ‘Carousel,’ there is a sense of a story of life going on.” (7/18) Jude Warne of TheVinylDistrict.com raved that BECKLEY‘s “…McCartney-esque gift for melody still reigns supreme on Carousel and his lyrics showcase a healthy dose of realism and inventiveness…” (8/16)
CAROUSEL contains original standouts such as the deeply personal “Lifeline,” “No Way I’m Gonna Lose You” (co-written with Dan Wilson who won an award for his work with Adele) and the above-mentioned “Tokyo,” of which BECKLEY says: “The song actually came to me while I was waiting to board a flight home from Japan. I seem to remember I lost track of time and almost missed the flight.” There are also three covers on which BECKLEY puts his distinctive spin: Spirit’s “Nature’s Way,” Gerry Rafferty’s “To Each and Everyone” and Gerry and The Pacemakers’ “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.”
Meanwhile, America will be touring throughout the fall. Click here for more information on tour dates and where to purchase tickets.
TRACK LISTING FOR CAROUSEL:
1 “Tokyo”
2 “Nature’s Way”
3 “Minutes Count”
4 “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”
5 “Lifeline”
6 “Widows Weeds”
7 “No Way I’m Gonna Lose You”
8 “Once A Distant Heart”
9 “To Each And Everyone”
10 “Fly”
11 “Serious”
12 “Carousel”
ABOUT GERRY BECKLEY:
Gerry Beckley is a co-founding member of the rock band America who recently released the albums Lost & Found (2015) and Back Pages (2011) which hit #1 on the Amazon chart. Born in Fort Worth, Texas on September 12, 1952 to an American father and an English mother. He began playing the piano at age 3 and the guitar a few years later. By 1962 he was playing guitar in The Vanguards an instrumental surf music band in Virginia. He spent every summer in England and soon discovered British invasion music. In 1967 Beckley’s father became the commander at the U.S. Air Force Base at West Ruislip, near London. Gerry attended Central High School in Hartfordshire where he played in various school bands and met his soon to be band members, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. Gerry has worked with a wide variety of musicians on many projects. One of the most notable is the recording Like a Brother done with Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Robert Lamm of Chicago. Beckley-Lamm-Wilson released Like a Brother in 2001.
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