The group America was formed when three guys met while attending a high school in London, England. They were all from the US and their father’s were in the military stationed in England. They chose their group name to indicate that they were from the US while first playing their first gigs in England.

The group’s first hit was originally called “Desert Song” but after recording it became “A Horse With No Name.” Group member, and song writer, Dewey Bunnell, says the song is “a metaphor for a vehicle to get away from life’s confusion into a quiet, peaceful place.” The song was on the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100 charts for three weeks (March 19 – April 8).

The group won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and were nominated for Best Pop Vocal Group at the Grammy Awards in 1973. After that they had some more hits and then had a time of much less popularity. One of the original members, Dan Peek, dropped out of the group in 1977 and died in 2011. The other two original members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, are touring again this year. It doesn’t look as they are preforming anywhere near Rochester.