Dash Crofts of Summer Breeze rock duo Seals and Crofts dies aged 85

Dash Crofts, the yacht rock musician who helped craft 70s hits such as Summer Breeze and Diamond Girl as part of the duo Seals and Crofts, has died aged 85.The news was announced on social media by the duo’s producer, Louie Shelton. He wrote: “Sad to hear our dear brother and partner in music has passed away today. Sending love and prayers to all his family and many fans. R.I.P. my brother.....Dash Crofts.” A family member confirmed that Crofts died due to complications following heart surgery.Croft’s musical partner Jim Seals died in 2022 at age 80.In the 1970s, Seals and Croft helped define the sound of breezy soft rock that was a musical mainstay of the decade. Their 1972 album Summer Breeze reached the US top 10 and included the single Hummingbird as well as the hit title track, which was a radio smash and was also covered by the Isley Brothers as well as the metal band Type O Negative, whose heavy take of the song was included on the soundtrack to the 90s teen thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer.In 1973, the duo released their follow-up album Diamond Girl, which was certified gold and span off a single of the same name that reached number six on the US singles charts.The following year, the band bumped up against controversy with the release of the 1974 album Unborn Child. The title track reflected the duo’s Bahá’í faith and belief that a child’s life begins at the moment of conception. Arriving in the wake of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling that protected women’s freedom to terminate pregnancies, the single faced a backlash and was banned by some radio stations.The duo broke up in 1980, as their gentle musical style fell out of favor with the rise of punk and disco. Crofts turned to a quieter life and moved to Nashville, where he focused on playing country music and occasionally released singles.Seals and Crofts rarely appeared in public after they disbanded, aside from a few appearences at Bahá’í gatherings. In 1998, Crofts released the solo album Today, followed by Seals and Crofts’ final album Traces, released in 2004.Yacht rock has seen a recent wave of reappreciation, with a 2024 HBO documentary Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary arguing for the importance of the breezy genre.In a 2019 interview, Bill Hader spoke of his love of yacht rock, saying: “Seals and Crofts, I think, were maybe privately more hardcore than Minor Threat.”