In their 35 years in country music, the Bellamy Brothers have learned one thing -- keep it real.
"I'm not sure what's let us keep doing what we're doing," said Howard Bellamy during a phone interview from his lifelong family ranch in Florida.
"We have our own following, and we've remained honest to those fans. If you stay real, it tends to have real long-term effects."
The brotherly country duo, whose most famous hit "Let Your Love Flow" was voted as one of BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century, will perform two sold-out shows at Dubuque's Mystique Casino Cabaret Saturday, Nov. 21.
The shows begin to cap off the brothers' tour year, which, on average, includes approximately 175 dates.
"It's a real continual tour," Bellamy said. "It's hard to tell where it starts and ends. But it's been great. We saw really great crowds this summer and haven't seen the effects of the economy affect attendance at our shows. So, I guess our demographic is hanging in there."
Forming in the 1970s, the Bellamy Brothers (Howard and David Bellamy) struck gold with
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Event: The Bellamy Brothers Time: 2 shows, 7 and 9 p.m. Date: Saturday, Nov. 21 Place: Mystique Casino Cabaret Cost: Tickets sold out for both shows top 10 hits * "Let Your Love Flow" * "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)?" * "Sugar Daddy" * "Dancin' Cowboys" * "Do You Love As Good As You Look?" * "Redneck Girl" * "When I'm Away From You" * "I Need More of You" * "Old Hippie" * "Kids of the Baby Boom" * "Too Much is Not Enough" * "Crazy from the Heart" * "Sante Fe" * "I Could Be Persuaded" |
In 2008, after 30-plus years, the song "Let Your Love Flow" was used in a UK Barclaycard advertisement for its contact-less cards.
The song re-entered the UK singles chart based on downloads and grazed the Top 20 pop charts. A cover of the tune by Petra Haden was used in a 2010 Toyota Prius commercial.
The duo's latest effort, "The Anthology, Vol. 1," was recently released and includes the Bellamy Brothers' latest single, "Guilty of the Crime," which is a collaboration with fellow famed siblings, the Bacon Brothers (actor Kevin Bacon and songwriter Michael Bacon).
The music video for the song features actress Shannon Doherty, of "Beverly Hills 90210" fame.
An "Anthology, Vol. 2" will be in the works.
"It commemorates our 35 years," Bellamy said. "We try to stay fairly current, but there is no way to compete with the younger artists radio-wise. That's just where the record labels' energy is. The real challenge is in getting new hits. You really have to be a part of that Top 40 radio group, and we've had our run at that. It's a sign of the way things are today. But as far as shows, people are still turning out."
Always writing, recording and ranching when not on the road, Bellamy said fans can expect to hear the brothers' extensive catalogue of hits spanning the duo's nearly four decade career, as well as new tunes -- and, of course, the duo's biggest hit, "Let Your Love Flow."
"It amazes me to this day that a song we cut almost 35 years ago is still big," Bellamy said. "It's still used in movies and commercials. It's hard to surpass that success."
