Well, HOMECOMING was launched, and the critics were silenced. AMERICA would not be a 1 hit wonder. The depth & breadth of the material raised the consciousness of millions of fans as well as the music industry. After all, what other rock group of 21ish aged musicians had Johnny Mathis seeking rights to record one of their songs (I NEED YOU). The honest, from the heart lyrical content woven around keyboards, acoustic guitar & three part harmony formed the basis for the AMERICA sound. The HOMECOMING LP truly was a HOMECOMING for this dynamic trio & many of the songs reflected this feeling. This LP was produced by AMERICA, 100%. It was around this point that AMERICA began playing larger venues & not long before they would exit the apartment complex where they lived around LA.

DEWEY said that he never grew up in LA as a kid. But "VENTURA" in VENTURA HIGHWAY was kind of a play on words, from adventure. In England, he did recall the sand & surf of California as a kid. He also remembers as a kid with his parents having a flat tire & walking down a highway & seeing a Ventura sign. HOMECOMING also featured AMERICA's 1st song not written by them, "HEAD & HEART"; it was too good to pass up & AMERICA did a splendid job on the song. Again AMERICA showed its musical versatility with some classic stuff from GERRY, such as "TILL THE SUN COMES UP AGAIN", another song of love's hope & anticipation. Also, the keyboard based "ONLY IN YOUR HEART" could make a great movie. I remember seeing a photo in an old AMERICA songbook of a diner named "Mary's Cafe" - the connection?

Last Revised: 19 September 1997