America is famous for 70's hits such as "A Horse with No Name," and "Ventura Highway," but the duo of Gerry Buckley and Dewey Bunnell (member until 1977 Dan Peek died unexpectedly in 2011) is still making music and playing to packed audiences. Their most recent release, 2011's Back Pages, is the band's first cover album. I spoke with Gerry Beckley about the process for creating the album (with producer Fred Mollin) and more.

Times Square (TS): Can you tell me about how the band came together?

Gerry Beckley (GB): We met in high school, outside of London. Our dads were in the Air Force. All of us had spent our lives traveling around the world, and happened to meet there. We had played music off and on in high school bands, so we knew each other very well. Come the summer of '69, Dan went back for a semester in college in the States. Dewey and I just worked around the base. All three of us had started writing our own original material. When Dan got back, we got together with acoustics and started singing. That was the first of the band—1970.

TS: You've had some truly memorable hits; can you tell me about your songwriting process?

GB: Everyone writes a little differently. You look at the success of Elton John, who has never written a word in his life. But his partnerships that he's had have yielded stuff that's incredibly great. There are all kids of ways to do it. People ask about whether words or lyrics come first. I think, in our case, it's all of the above. Sometimes, you'll have a title, a chord pattern; it can come from any angle. It's like building blocks.

TS: Fast forward to your most recent release; what prompted the idea of a cover album?

GB: We had never done one. We had done select covers over the year. There's a formula where we think let's think of a few songs of someone else's that we like and pick one. When you don't do cover albums, the list of favorite songs remains untapped. It was a fantastic thing to jump into a project where we knew and loved every tune. Honestly, there were far more songs that we'd like to do than that made it on the album. It was a really unique experience, and we loved every minute of it.

TS: How was working with producer Fred Mollin after almost 30 years?

GB: We love Fred, and we've stayed in touch after all of these years. He happened to be doing some work with Jimmy Webb, who is a friend of ours. He said, I think we can do something from here. He was integral from the start. Fred is a super song guy, so the process of selecting and suggesting songs was three people, not just Dewey and me.

TS: How did you select the songs?

GB: Well we had a long list. There were probably 100 songs, and we had to narrow it down. There were certain things, for example, there can't be two Paul Simon songs, there can't be two Jimmy Webb songs, etc. We had to decide which song out of the many possibilities that it should be. We had to scan the horizon. There might have been a reason to do a more obscure song if a more popular one had been covered a million times. These things all came into play. There were times where you found that you never stop learning if your eyes and ears are open. Dewey wanted to do "Caroline, No." I thought of all the songs, it's almost sacrilegious. How could you come anywhere near it? I was proven wrong. And Brian heard it and loved it. It just shows that if your heart is in it, you can really deliver.

TS: Dan died right when the album was released; what significance did that bring?

GB: First of all, it was a tragedy in all regards. It was unexpected, not just to those of us who knew and loved him, but also to fans around the world. It wasn't on the radar, not like illness or something. It's unfortunate to have an ingredient like that become such an integral part of the story. But the truth is, he was a vital part of the formative years of the band. He was part of some of our biggest hits. It was tragic all the way around.

TS: You guys have collaborated with many esteemed artists—how do you decide who to collaborate with?

GB: We're chipping away. For example, we did a song by Mark Knopfler, who both Dewey and I've loved for years. And we got him, and he performed on the record as well. I've worked with all of my idols and peers, like Brian Wilson, for decades. It's hard to say that there's anyone else left. I enjoy the whole new round of people out in the singer/songwriter genre. I saw a Wilco show the other day, and I was just in awe. But, our lives our full, our schedules are packed.

TS: It looks like you'll be touring for a while, including in Japan, what can fans expect?

GB: The shows in Japan are with the Beach Boys. I saw that show of theirs at the Hollywood Bowl and loved it from start to finish. They're some of my closest friends on the planet. As far as our show in the states, we have a big band with us and it's a treat.

TS: What does music mean to you?

GB: I started piano when I was three. I started lessons then, because I already had a passion for it. It has been such an integral part of my life, and I can't imagine what it would have been like with its absence. I hope it's not cliché, but it has moved me and released me more than any other aspect of my life other than family.

America plays B.B. King's Wednesday, July 11th. For info and tickets, please visit http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=1740

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