America on “Ventura Highway” and the Prince Connection

Coming up an interview with one of the biggest selling bands of the 70s, America, led by Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek. Here, the 2 principals, Dewey and Gerry, give us the story of a song that became their third consecutive top 10 hit and a radio staple of the early decade, Ventura Highway. The song conjured up imagery of a wondrous and mystical destination, although the group has taken flak for decades for some of the lyrics… including one about flying alligators? or maybe listeners just heard them wrong? One strange lyric was used by Prince a decade later in a song and a record that would blow up… Purple Rain. But America was the first to use it in a pop song… Maybe Prince was listening! Featuring one of the most creative guitar lines of the time, Ventura Highway is a sonic time machine and will take you back to the carefree 70s in an instant. The interview is next on Professor of Rock.

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