Although Dan was born deep in the heart of Texas and reared on country music, he soon learned that the world offered other types of music when he moved to Dallas and met up with fellow Texan John Ford Coley. Does the name ring a bell? It should. Just about every single time you get into an elevator or visit a doctor's office your chances of hearing a song by the duo increase.
Dan and John were members of a group called "Southwest F. O. B". Actually they were the main force behind the band. The album is a collector's item now - being considered a cult classic - containing songs Dan and John wrote for the group. Being a bit unruly and not being an overnight success caused the band to lose the record contract that they had. At that point Dan and John set out to try their hand at working the clubs in the Dallas area.
Like many groups they had their ups and downs. Finally a break came and they found themselves on the road to success. Opening for acts like Elton John certainly helped. Although they opened for Dan's brother's group - Seals & Crofts - the guys did not capitalize on the fact that Jimmy and Dan were brothers. In fact, Jimmy was the person who suggested that Dan use the name "England Dan" when they originally started out.
