CROCKETT — For certain generations, the soft rock sounds of the ‘70s, when music spoke to deep feelings, stir wistful memories.
Those feelings have spurred a resurgence in the genre, so much so that playlists on all current formats include Yacht Rock channels, spinning the discs from decades past.
An artist that was a hitmaker in the genre, John Ford Coley, is bringing those special tunes and special memories to the Crockett Civic Center on Saturday at Yacht Rock the Dock with Ambrosia and Friends.
“Everyone, especially the young, is coming back to classic tunes and rock because of the stories and the melodies,” he said. “I think the younger generations pick up on this; there’s an exposure coming from online sources and parents.”
Coley and his family are from Bastrop County, and he said it’s nice to come home, and it’s nice to play in the smaller towns.
“The big towns all get the events, and a lot of times people in the smaller towns get left out,” he said. “They’re very enthusiastic, they remember the songs and come out and are very responsive. Going down memory lane is something we all enjoy.”
Coley, a classically trained musician that had Top 10 hits in the ‘70s, said it only made sense to join the movement, and along with other acts, decided to do their own event.
“We have Ambrosia, then Peter Beckett from Player, and myself,” Coley said. “The great thing about this thing is there are different people, and we’re all original members of our bands. You won’t be seeing some tribute band.”
Coley, who gained fame in the band England Dan and John Ford Coley, has created many memorable hits such as “Love Is The Answer,” “Gone Too Far,” “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again,” “Nights Are Forever Without You,” and “Sad To Belong.”
He also has played with Ambrosia, Three Dog Night, Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Christopher Cross, Poco, Stephen Bishop, Al Stewart, Dan Seals and Edgar Winter.
“I’m classically trained, and my influences were Bach, Chopin and Beethoven,” he said. “I got into other fields growing up, like the Grand Ole Opry, gospel, and show tunes. When I got into the business, I was playing things like Buffalo Springfield, Otis Redding, Dan Fogelberg. I’m across the board, I just like music, all of it’s inspiring, and that’s what keeps you young in this business.”
Coley did say music is an ephemeral and fickle business, not for the faint of heart, but it did allow him to be the opening act for just about everyone, including Led Zeppelin.
“I’m thankful for coming up in the time that we did,” he said. “We got to tour with some of the greatest acts. The number of people I’ve been exposed to, it’s a staggering thing to have done that.”
The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Crockett Civic Center, 1100 Edmonson Road, in Crockett. Tickets are available at https://pwfaa.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=140.
