Howard and David continue to prove that the trail they’ve ridden to fame has been as unique as their

music itself—music that is now celebrating 40 years of success.

The road that started on the pop music charts in the ‘70’s, took a winding turn into country music in the

‘80’s, paving the way for duos to come, such as Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich, and

previously—The Judds. But before the road forked into country, the musical odyssey of brothers Bellamy

started creatively smoldering in their home state of Florida, before exploding nationally amidst the ’70’s

pop music culture of L.A.

The brothers first official gig was in 1968, playing a free show with their father at the Rattlesnake

Roundup in San Antonio, Florida. They honed their early skills playing black clubs throughout the south,

and singing backup for artists such as Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, and Little Anthony & The Imperials.

Within a few months, the brothers moved north, immersing themselves and their rock/country sound in

the Atlanta market, where the Allman Brothers were the emerging kings of the music world.

With the dawning of the Age of Aquarius on the horizon, and America embroiled in a smoke haze of

drugs, civil unrest and an unpopular war, The Bellamy's music picked-up the hard driving edge that

bespoke the times. Songwriting had become David Bellamy’s drug of choice during the long road gigs he

and Howard were regularly pulling bodies and equipment to and from. It was his songwriting that was

posed to soon provide the duo a national breakout.

The break came in the form of the hit, “Spiders & Snakes,” written by David and recorded by Jim Stafford.

The song became a smash, eventually selling more than three million units worldwide. It became the

catapult that rocketed the brother onto the L.A. music scene. Young and impressionable, Howard and

David fell into the musical circle of the greats of the day: Bob Dylan, James Taylor, and Van Morrison, as

well as West Coast based country rockers like Poco and the Byrds.

It was a creative shoe that fit.

Now known by their music and the company they were keeping, The Bellamys officially lifted off the

launch pad in 1976 when their single, “Let Your Love Flow,” became an instant smash in both the U.S. and

Europe. It stayed on the international charts long enough to build a huge international fan base for the

hip young brothers that endures to this day. In Germany alone it perched at #1 for more than two

months. The love was indeed flowing as The Bellamys jammed for audiences on their sold-out concerts

and shared stages with the likes of Loggins & Messina, the Doobie Brothers, and the Beach Boys., with

their patented blend of rock/country music.

True to their musical roots, their style and their songwriting was moving steadily more towards their

raising. By the late ‘70’s The Bellamys were emerging on the country charts with another bona fide

smash. “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me),” originally scrawled on a

dinner napkin by David, rocketed them to the top of the country charts the way “Let Your Love Flow,” had

done in the pop market just a few years earlier. It proved to be the first of a string of fourteen #1 singles

in the U.S. alone.

 

Success followed success: “Dancing Cowboys,” “Sugar Daddy,” “You Ain’t Just Whistlin’ Dixie,” “Lovers

Live Longer,” “Do You Love As Good As You Look,” “Redneck Girl,” “For All The Wrong Reasons,” “I Love

Her Mind,” “I Need More Of You,” “Old Hippie,” “Too Much Is Not Enough,” “Kids Of The Baby Boom,” and

“Reggae Cowboy” and “Crazy From The Heart,”...all have lined the corridors of the Bellamy’s musical

history and their walls with platinum and gold.

Along the way, Howard and David created a patent on the newly cool “duo” category in country music. In

the era of the 2000’s, The Bellamy Brothers hold the record in both the Academy of Country Music (ACM)

and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) for the most duo nominations. Numerous Grammy

nods have also been directed toward the brothers.

Internationally, the story has been the same—though the titles may be different. The Bellamys have

released more than two-dozen hit songs outside the U.S. that were never released here. With a sharp eye

on the songwriting skills that have been the bedrock of their success, Howard and David concur that their

career is unique in their international finesse for matching their songs to the market.

“For the international releases, you have to have a strong melody,” notes David. “The lyric is very

important, but internationally the melody is something fans can lock into, even if they can’t understand

the lyrics.” Howard and David continue to perform and film TV specials in Europe and around the world.

These days when the subject turns to touring, The Bellamys are showing a new generation of country

music how it’s done. “We’re old road dogs,” grins Howard when asked about the motivation behind the

brothers 200 plus concert dates each year. Adds David: “Our live draw is bigger than it was in the ‘80’s. I

think the same people that grew up with us and with our music in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s obviously have

raised a whole new generation of Bellamy fans who started toddling to our music. Now they’re turning up

at our concerts as college kids, who are really turned on and tuned in to us and our music....it’s a great

feeling.”

On the infrequent off days from the road, Howard and David head the bus back to their 150-acre family

ranch in Darby, Florida just north of Tampa. A working ranch, the spread consists of Purebred Charlois

cattle and quarter horses. Amid a land lush with fruit trees, ancient oaks and crepe myrtles, three

generation of the Bellamy family, headed by David and Howard’s mother, Frances, populate the homes

clustered in the family compound.

The Bellamy Brothers latest project is their new album titled '40 Years' is an ambitious project that

celebrates their career with 20 of their biggest hits and then adds 20 brand new songs in this 2 cd

anniversary collection.

~Bio ~

Easton Corbin has been gracing stages with his memorable baritone and unique blend of traditional and modern country music for more than a decade. The Florida native, who boasts two No. 1 singles with “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It,” embarks on a new musical chapter with his recent signing to Stone Country Records. Corbin teams with industry veterans Benny Brown, Paul Brown and Jason Sellers as the label’s flagship artist.

Corbin says he and Music Row mainstay Benny Brown initially met and bonded over their mutual love of traditional country music. No stranger to the writing room himself, Corbin has penned songs with Sellers ahead of signing with the independent label. The singer, who has spent several years as an independent artist following nearly a decade with Mercury Nashville, says he’s in a great position being Stone Country’s flagship artist.

“They let me do what I want to do and let me be me, which is very important,” the singer says.

Corbin’s neotraditional sound shines through on “I Can’t Decide,” his debut single for the label. Soaring pedal steel and ear-grabbing fiddle accompaniment combined with a driving beat, plucked guitar rhythms and Corbin’s warm baritone further accentuate the up-tempo song. 

Corbin wrote “I Can’t Decide” three years ago with producer Wade Kirby and esteemed songwriters Ashley Gorley and Rhett Akins. The singer, who American Songwriter has praised as “one of those rare, glorious voices that was made for singing country,” has been performing the song on the road since he wrote it and says “I Can’t Decide” always grabs the audience’s attention.

“I immediately knew it was something special,” he says. “It’s very contagious. I love the melody; I love the lyrics and to me it just feels like a hit.”

 

Label boss Brown thought the same. “Benny is very involved and [‘I Can’t Decide’] rose to the top,” Corbin says. 

Corbin describes Brown as “a song guy,” and it was Brown who suggested the singer team up with Kirby and Derek George as producers. “They bring a fresh sound,” Corbin says of co-producers Kirby and George. 

The Florida native continues to write with longtime producer Carson Chamberlain as well as Kirby, Shane Minor, Adam Craig and Wyatt McCubbin, who he penned the romantic wedding song “Marry That Girl” with. Corbin says the past three years have allowed him to focus more seriously on writing music and finding the message he wants to convey to listeners on his forthcoming project. 

“It’s about being authentic and that’s what I try to shoot for when I write or record,” he says. “I keep one foot in traditional and one foot in the modern and marry those two. That’s really been my motto through the years.”

And he’s had a successful time doing so. Throughout his career, Corbin has amassed seven top 10 singles and three American Country Awards. Named Billboard’s 2010 Top New Country Artist, Corbin has never shied away from his traditional roots with Your Big Sky complimenting his “unapologetic and unwavering traditional country sound.” His self-titled debut album was named Country Breakthrough Album of the Year by iTunes Rewind Best of 2010 while American Songwriter has complimented the singer’s “warm, smooth-as-gravy-southern drawl.”

Along the way, Corbin hasn’t forgotten his roots. The young boy who grew up listening to Merle Haggard and Hank Williams with his grandparents remembers where he came from.

“I do love traditional country music,” he says. “That sound is what drew me to country music as a genre. One of my very first records was a Merle Haggard album when I was a kid. The way he delivered a song, the emotion in his songwriting and in his voice, he was just the whole package.”

As Corbin embarks on his next chapter with Stone Country Records, the singer promises to honor those roots and says “I Can’t Decide” is just a taste of what’s to come. 

“I think it's a good mixture of the traditional and modern,” he says of the upcoming project. “It's a good mixture of that up-tempo, midtempo, a few ballads here and there. That song is a good representation of what’s coming. I’m really fired up about this brand new opportunity.”