Who was Jim Seals? Tributes pour in as Seals and Crofts vocalist passes away at 80

Jim Seals, the lead vocalist of the 70s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts, passed away on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 80. His colleague and fellow musician John Ford Coley confirmed the news of his demise on social media. He wrote:

“Wow. Don’t even know where to begin. Jimmy Seals passed away today... I am very sad over this but I have some of the best memories of all of us together. Rest In Peace Jimmy.”

According to Variety, the tragic news was also shared in a statement by Seals’ cousin Brady Seals:

“I just learned that James ‘Jimmy’ Seals has passed. My heart just breaks for his wife Ruby and their children. Please keep them in your prayers. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind.”

As per The New York Times, Seal’s wife Ruby said that he passed away after a battle with a “chronic ongoing illness.” In addition to his wife, the musician is survived by his three children.

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Looking back into the life of Jim Seals

Jim Seals was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best remembered as one half of the 1970s duo Seals and Crofts. He was born to Cora and Wayland Seals in 1942 and grew up with his brother Dan, who became a country star himself.

Seals started playing the saxophone at 13 and later joined a local band called the Crew Cats. He first met Dash Crofts while performing for musician Dan Beard in 1958. At the time, Seals also toured with a band by Eddie Cochran.

The duo then joined the Champs and stayed with the group until 1965. Shortly after the pair moved to Los Angeles, they started performing for the Mushrooms before joining Dawnbreakers. They eventually decided to establish their group, Seals, and Crofts, in 1969.

While Crofts played the drums, mandolin, and keyboards, Seals handled guitar, saxophone, and fiddle. The band signed a contract with Talent Associated in 1969 and released two LPs, of which the second reached the Billboard 200 chart.

The duo went on to sign another contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1971. Although their first album under the new company failed to make it to the charts, their second album, Summer Breeze, became their breakthrough.

The album reportedly sold over one million copies and earned a gold disc from the R.I.A.A. in December 1972. Their third album, Diamond Charts, also earned gold certification, but their fourth record, Unborn Child, landed in the middle of a controversy over an alleged anti-abortion song.

The popularity of Seals and Crofts started to decline by 1976, with Warner Bros. eventually dropping the duo after their 1980 LP The Longest Road. Following their disbandment, Seals devoted much of his time to the Baha'i religion and reportedly moved to live on a Costa Rican coffee farm.

He reunited with Crofts in 2004 to release Traces, an album consisting of re-recording some of their biggest hits. Seals married Ruby Jean Seals in 1970, and the pair went on to have three children together.

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Twitter mourns the loss of Jim Seals

Netizens took to Twitter to pay tribute to Jim Seals (Image via Getty Images)

Along with Dash Crofts, Jim Seals was considered to be one of the most prominent soft-rock acts of the 1970s. The two-piece is still remembered for their classic hits like Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl, We May Never Pass This Way (Again), and Get Closer.

Following the news of Seals’ demise, several people took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the artist:

As tributes continue to pour in online, it is certain that Jim Seals will be missed by his family, friends, fans, colleagues, and well-wishers. However, he will always be remembered for his contributions to music by his contemporaries and future generations alike.