Dash Crofts, half of '70s duo behind 'Summer Breeze' and 'Diamond Girl,' dies at 87
AP News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Darrell “Dash” Crofts, half of the 1970s soft-rock duo Seals & Crofts known for hits like “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl,” died at age 87 from heart failure in Austin, Texas.
- Crofts and childhood friend Jim Seals formed Seals & Crofts in the late 1960s, blending pop, country, folk, and jazz to become key figures in the soft-rock genre alongside bands like America and Bread.
- Their music was heavily influenced by the Baha’i faith, which inspired themes of unity and spirituality in their songs, and led to controversy with their 1974 anti-abortion ballad “Unborn Child.”
- After their peak in the 1970s, the duo broke up in the early 1980s but reunited sporadically; Crofts also released solo work and performed with Seals & Crofts 2, a band formed by family members.
- Crofts is survived by his second wife, three children, and eight grandchildren; his death marks the end of an era for fans of their distinctive soft-rock sound.
